Earthshaker
by thisissupposedtobeblank
Summary: As they fight against an unbeatable foe, Percy Jackson awakens a power deep within him in order to save his friends. Unfortunately for him, that power-up threatens to disrupt Kronos' entire plans, and the Titan is not happy. With his friends at his side, can the young demigod force himself to shake the foundations of the gods and change how the entire world should be run?
1. Percy Trashes the Junkyard of the Gods

Percy Jackson was in some deep shit.

No, it wasn't because of the telephone poles flying dangerously through the air, the power lines whipping in every direction.

And no, it wasn't because some giant robot was busy trying to flatten him, either with his foot or a sword the size of a skyscraper.

No, what had him in so much trouble right now was the girl he had just saved from being squashed like a bug. The girl that, after pushing her out of the way, he had accidentally fallen on top of. The girl, whose breast was currently being slightly fondled subconsciously by her teammate. Yes, Percy Jackson was victimized by some cosmic power, with Bianca di Angelo an unwilling participate.

"Perrrrrrccccyyy?" The raven-haired Hunter cried, her voice struggling to keep calm. "Whaaattt arree yoouuu dooiinnngg?"

Percy just sat there, straddling the girl, his hand resting comfortably on her breast. He was quite shocked - for a twelve year old, she was quite developed… Wait, what was he thinking?!

He quickly let go, mumbling his apologies and such, when suddenly a cold touch of silver pressed against his throat. "Percy Jackson, what are you doing?"

"Ah, Zoë, uh…" Percy rambled a bit, though he knew it was all for naught. Frankly, he figured that the lead huntress would justify his death in any way, and considering the only other two in the team were a girl and a Hunter fangoat, no one would really stop her.

But luck seemed to be on Percy's side. Well, as much luck as a twenty-story bronze automaton waving a battleship-sized sword could be. Just when he felt Zoë Nightshade would bring justice upon his head, Talos the Giant cut a hill of god trash down to size, causing a mini avalanche to fall on top of the three. It was all Percy could do for grabbing the hunter lieutenant and somehow throwing her judo-style over the top of him, quickly smothering her and Bianca to protect them from the falling debris.

Thalia and Grover flinched as their three teammates were buried under a mountain of garbage. The daughter of Zeus glanced at her satyr friend. Over the summer Grover had made an empathy link with Percy, which allowed the two to share feelings - something that kind of grossed her out. However, at times like this, where the status of one of the two was unknown, the link was extremely convenient. Thalia sighed in relief as the goat-boy gave a subtle nod, enough to tell his punk friend that the three were fine.

But that still left them with a rather large opponent to face, and the girl really wasn't sure how to deal with it. Lightning would do nothing, unless Hephaestus had programmed Talos with electricity, something the demigod seriously doubted. Her trusted shield had been ineffective, obvious when used against a robot whose toe could easily flatten her. And stabbing it in the ankle over and over again would only make it agitated, making the automaton all the more dangerous. And that was if you could get to the feet before it flattened you like some spit-out gum.

Grover was busy trying to bash it around with the electric poles, which was as effective as hitting a bronze shield with a stick (thinking about it, wasn't it basically the same?). In fact, those poles were just making the entire situation more dangerous, what with the wires whipping around in all directions. Thalia really did not want to get fried by some lines. Even the low voltage ones had enough to bake her insides. Then again, seeing as she called down lightning every now and then, would electricity even shock her?

"Grover, we need to lead Talos away from Percy!" The goat nodded again, quickly playing something with his reed pipes that led to the poles of shocking death to pull back a bit. Thalia backed up a bit to, hoping that the bronze giant would pay attention now that three threats were buried.

Still, exactly what the two of them would do once the automaton rounded on them was somewhat lost. The daughter of Zeus began to worry that perhaps this was all pointless. Once again her mind wandered a bit, wondering if she and her friends were all just playthings with which the gods could entertain themselves. She had heard about Percy and Annabeth's near-death experience at some rundown water park in Denver being an instant hit on Hephaestus TV. No doubt this stupid quest was the next season in "Watch our Children Fight for their Lives!" or whatever show her father watched. The pain, the anger, the humiliation of it all drove her to do something reckless. She charged the giant.

Grover tried to shout out something to stop her but he could not be heard over her own pounding heart. What was she doing? Wasn't this suicide? All of the sudden a line from the quest's prophecy popped into her mind: _One shall be lost in the land without rain_. Well, this was southwestern USA - an empty, barren wasteland. Her death would certainly qualify. And maybe this would help her escape the pressure of living up to her father's expectations as well as being the victim of the Great Prophecy. _I'm sorry, Percy. Looks like you'll have to deal with that_.

But before she reached the still giant, the ground shook. _Earthquake?_ Thalia had grown up in California, so she knew all about earthquakes. But this was Arizona! How could an earthquake hit here?

Suddenly gashes in the earth appeared. Tons of debris slipped over a newly formed edge, falling into the abyss as fissures slowly crept closer and closer to the giant automaton. Who had this power? Thalia ran through a list of Greek gods and their powers, but geokinesis on this level was something only Gaea, a primordial goddess, claimed. Not even Hades could tear the earth apart like paper - or at least, that's what she thought. Give her a break - she was just six months free from being a tree for five years. She was bound to have forgotten some stuff.

The daughter of Zeus continued to watch as the hill that her friends were buried in gradually shrank smaller and smaller. Talos turned back to his wreckage, Thalia swearing she could see a look of confusion on his immobile face. Finally, all the debris was gone, leaving a very dirty and bruised boy standing there, hovering over two girls. Thalia gasped - an aura pulsated around the son of Poseidon, reminding the punk-dressed demigod of her brothers on the Olympian council. She would hate to admit it to Seaweed Brain, but he looked way hot at that moment. The daughter of Zeus shook her head to clear mind. Besides, she was more interested in California surfer types, like Luke and Apollo. It hadn't occurred to her that, besides the blonde aspect, Percy fit the surfer type much more than either of those crushes.

As Percy bent down to check the two bodies of his companions, the bronze automaton decided to make his move. Thalia screamed, sure that her friend was about to be flattened. But just as Talos' foot fell, another pulse from the Earth shook, forcing the giant to stumble into another mountain of trash, tipping it into the shadowy deeps of. At that moment an orange blur shot past the robot and stopped right in front of the punk girl.

"Percy!?" Thalia shouted in surprise. It was well known that Percy wasn't the fastest of half-bloods, but he had just crossed an area of fifty yards in four seconds flat. And if that hadn't shocked the girl, then the green aura surrounding the boy did. "What is that?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Percy, after gently laying down the unconscious forms of Zoë and Bianca, looked up at his cousin questioningly.

"That… That green stuff, all around you!"

Grover hobbled over, huffing. "Percy, are you doing that?"

"What are you two talking about?!"

"Why are you covered in some green mist?!"

"How did you make the giant fall?!"

At that moment, said giant decided to get back to his feet. The three conscious questers stared at it, but Percy was the first to move.

"Percy, what are you doing?"

"Listen, I'm not sure why, but I think I'm the only one who can take Talos on." He pointed at the two hunters. "Get those two to safety."

"Percy, that's impossible! You'll be killed! Don't be so reckless, Kelp Head!"

The son of Poseidon just gave a small grin and then charged at the bronze giant. Thalia tried to stop him, but Grover held her back. "You can't, Thalia."

"What are you talking about? We have to help him."

"No, we've got to take care of these two. The sooner they are out of harm's way, the sooner we can help Percy."

Thalia wanted to argue, but the look in Grover's eyes stopped her. She knew he was afraid for his best friend, but this was the best idea. Grudgingly, she stooped down to pick up Zoë. "Fine, let's go." She started to run. "And no funny thoughts about Bianca," she shouted back at the goat-boy who instantly turned red.

"Hey, that's mean."

"Please, you're nearly twenty and you're so in love with the Hunters, I'm not sure what you would do."

Meanwhile, Percy was busy dodging Talos' feet, wondering why in the name of Hades had he decided to fight a giant automaton headon. Sure, he was impulsive, but this was just way too idiotic on his part. Taking on something as big as the apartment building his mom rented? Why was he so stupid?

Still, something screamed within, saying that he could destroy the giant. He quickly turned to his abilities - excellent sword-fighting skills! Well, that was somewhat useless against something 200 feet tall… Getting strength from water! That would be convenient, but since he was in the middle of a desert... Skateboarding? Yeah, that would help… NOT! Wait, why was there a skateboard in Hephaestus' junkyard?

Just at that moment, Talos' foot landed three inches away. Argh! Percy groaned to himself. Sometimes his ADHD picked up the lamest of distractions at the most inopportune times. Like, for example, when he is about to be something a giant bronze robot would want to scrape off of his foot.

And yet, despite cursing himself for his way too hyperactive senses, his focus kept turning to the skateboard. It was a pretty sick skateboard with wings on the sides. Must have been made for Hermes. The winged skateboard had been dislodged from the junk it was trapped in and was rolling to some cracks in the ground… Huh? Why were there cracks in the ground? Percy couldn't recall seeing them there earlier. And they seemed too jagged to be cut from a giant sword. No, it was more like the Earth had been ripped apart.

Confused, the young demigod considered the possibilities of why this was while diving from another stomp. He was pretty sure Grover didn't have that ability; Thalia shot lightning; Zoë did nothing but shoot arrows and complain about guys in general; and Bianca… well, she was a demigod powerful enough that a freaking manticore attacked her. But she was a wild card, since no one was sure which god was her parent. Maybe this was her doing?

But just as Percy was about to come to that conclusion (while trying to figure out why he was doing this during a fight… while dodging a battleship-sized sword and feet the size of tanks… sometimes his ADHD could let him do some amazing things), a single nickname popped into his mind: _Earthshaker_. Percy frowned. Where had that come up from? He couldn't think of anyone with that nickname.

As he dodged a sword thrust that gouged out a deep hole in the ground, Percy again considered the possibilities. When he had visited Los Angeles a couple summers ago, Hades caused an earthquake that leveled much of the city. Perhaps it was him? But why would he do that? He would kill a demigod sooner than save them, or he would just let Fate run her course and let the spawn of his family die. There would be no reason for him to do anything here… unless a certain girl whose parentage was currently unknown had the God of the Underworld as a father. That may explain things~

But still, that didn't seem right. The son of Poseidon just couldn't shake off the feeling that he was the only one who could take down the giant robot, and there was no way in Hades that his uncle would ever consider helping him. Percy sighed in disappointment, knowing he was losing energy, fast. The entire fight was exhausting, and all he had managed to do was prick Talos around his ankles, which seemed to just make the automaton more angry. Percy glanced at his sword, Riptide. To think that his beloved sword actually came from Zoë… The blade shined in the sunlight, radiating power… Percy frowned a bit, running between the giant's legs. If Anaklusmos drew power from the ocean, then how could it radiate power in the middle of a desert? Suddenly, things started to click for the demigod. He couldn't explain it, but he just knew what to do.

He stabbed his sword into the ground.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Percy stood there, shocked at his actions. He might have felt like he knew what he was doing, but right at that moment, with an automaton the size of a skyscraper looming over head trying to kill him and his only weapon buried two feet into the ground, he felt completely idio~... hold on, how did it sink two feet into the stone-hard ground?

Just as the young demigod thought that, the entire valley blew up.


	2. Percy Learns about Threesomes

"Ughhh, what happened?"

Percy groaned in pain. For some reason, it felt like he had broken every bone and tore every muscle in his body, and yet everything was still in one piece. Wait, that didn't make any sense. Percy shrugged, which sent a bolt of pain shooting down his back. This was terrible.

He opened his eyes and saw… darkness. The demigod started to panic - he knew his eyes were open, yet he could see nothing? Had he gone blind?

No, it looked like there was various shades of blackness. Like whatever was covering him was slightly lighter than whatever was the solid wall on his left. Percy frowned at this thought. Wall? That would mean he was in a room. And whatever covered him felt like a blanket. Now that he thought about it, whatever he was laying on felt pretty comfortable, like a bed.

So, he was taken someplace so he could rest from that fight? Well, if that was the case, then there had to be a door or something around in this room. Percy grimaced as he got out of bed, shuffled forward until he felt the wall, and then followed the wall around the room.

Ah, there! There was obviously something different about this stretch of the wall. While the wall had a stony feel to it, whatever this was felt wooden. And that could only mean a door! Percy moved his hand up and down, searching in vain for the handle. Giving up, he leaned up against the door, only for it to swing out and dumping the poor boy down into an undignified pile.

"A swinging door? Who has that for a bedroom?" The son of Poseidon muttered in an angry huff before picking himself up and observing his surroundings. He was in what seemed like a stone hallway, complete with small tables holding up vases of several bizarre yet beautiful flowers. Percy blinked, realizing that the silvery buds were the actual light sources of this… cave. That wasn't something you see every day.

Further down the hallway Percy noticed a brighter light, which probably was the entranceway of whoever's home this cave was. Should he step outside and search for his mysterious caregiver outdoors, or should he explore the cave more? After some deliberation, the boy decided to continue exploring his primitive shelter. It seemed much more efficient that way - start inside, and work your way slowly out. And, seeing as there was hardly a speck of dust in the entire hallway despite it being a cave, someone must be around.

Pretty soon, he had checked all the rooms in the hallway, even finding a makeshift kitchen and dining hall. But he still hadn't found anybody, so he started to venture outside. It was then that he noticed a stairway that ascended to another floor. Shrugging, he climbed up the stairs and entered another hallway.

"Wow, this is surprisingly big." He wandered further on until, finally, a door on the other end of the hallway had some light shining underneath it! That must mean someone was in there! Percy hurried over, trying to ignore his limp he assumed he received from the fight, and hurriedly pushed the door open. "Excuse me, is there anybod~"

_Oh, gods_. There, right in front of him, was a butt. A small butt. A small, very cute butt. And, no matter how hard he tried, he could not force his eyes off that cute butt. For a good fifteen seconds, he and the butt's owner stood there, unable to move, before she (he assumed it was a she, since there was no way a guy's butt could be that smooth) covered herself with a towel.

His view now blocked, the boy quickly stammered out: "Ah, I'm sorry. I'll… just … wait outside," and threw himself out of what he had figured out was the bathroom.

_Gods, what is wrong with me today?_ Percy started counting down everything slightly perverted he had done that day: he had ogled a goddess, fantasized about his best friend, groped a Hunter's boob, hugged another Hunter close to him, and now had walked in on a girl changing. It didn't help that he was hitting puberty and getting more and more interested in those things. _Gods, it'll take forever for me to get to sleep tonight. _

Well, best to wait somewhere so that he can beg forgiveness from the butt goddess he just met. The demigod practically sprinted down the stairs, down the hallway, and out of the cave to find himself in… paradise?

_Wait, is this heaven? Or, well, I guess it would be Elysium, being Greek and all. That would explain the cave, but what's with the bu~ err, the girl? I don't remember anything about Greeks getting girls after they died - I'm pretty sure that's strictly a Muslim belief. Huh, maybe they're related?_

As his mind continued to process this new information and form increasingly random theories, Percy became entranced with what was around him. There were huge gardens filled with different and exotic flowers, the silver flower mixed in among them. Large, green trees surrounded the cave, and the son of Poseidon could smell an ocean breeze. That basically confirmed it to him that he was not dead - after all, there was no ocean in the Underworld. So he was by the sea… an island perhaps? How in Hades did he get to an island? Then thoughts of another island paradise popped up in his mind, along with a horrible memory of turning into a guinea pig… oh gods, was this _another_ trap? Why was it that everything nice in the world had some dark secret: Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium, which had some of the best hamburgers Percy had ever tasted but also had an owner who liked to turn her visitors into stone; the Lotus Hotel and Casino, otherwise known as game heaven that kept its customers happy for a very _long_ time; Monster Donuts, which tasted delicious but was also a prominent place for spawning monsters; and C.C.'s Spa and Resort, the other island paradise that saw Percy running inside a hamster wheel.

But before the demigod could further panic, the girl walked up behind him, drying her hair in a towel. Again, all Percy could do was stare at the beauty before him, though thankfully she wasn't naked. The mystery girl wore one of those white sleeveless Greek dresses that framed her body perfectly, showing off extremely impressive curves that would make anybody, whether mortal or divine, drool. Tearing his eyes off of her shapely chest that he low neckline emphasized, Percy found himself staring again at a face beyond perfect - almond-shaped eyes in a peach complexion, with hair the color of caramel framing a perfect smile that seemed both flirtatious and perfectly normal. Fully aware that "perfect" was being used as a description way too much in his mind, Percy didn't care; in his opinion, this mystery girl was even more beautiful than Aphrodite, the goddess of love herself.

"Are you going to sit there, staring at me this whole time, or are you going to introduce yourself?'

_Oh gods, she even has that teasing personality that, no matter what she says, will never make you feel bad. If this is a trap, then I am in some serious trouble. _"Mah naammeme isssee Paaaasheeeee."

The girl giggled, causing the dark-haired boy to blush like he never had before. Was this love? Percy had never really been one of those guys who believed in love at first sight. Sure, his first thought about Annabeth was along the lines of her being way out of his league. Oddly enough, several girls he knew fit this description - except for Clarisse. The boy mentally shivered at that thought.

But this girl wasn't even in his solar system. The other girls he could talk to - even Aphrodite, after a little bit of prodding, was approachable. This girl… he feared he would never be able to speak calmly and in coherent sentences. Ever. Percy realized he had foregone "crush" status and entered into "heart-pounding-so-hard-I-will-probably-die-of-a-heart-attack" status. The poor boy fell and fell hard. It probably didn't help that, having already seen her bare butt earlier, the son of Poseidon couldn't help but imagine what she looked like under her dress.

It took almost the rest of the day for Percy to finally reveal his name to what he decided could only be a goddess. To his eternal embarrassment he practically had to spell it out before she could understand him. Her name, "Calypso." sounded extremely familiar, but Percy was too focused on her sheer natural beauty that he couldn't figure out where he had heard it from.

During the introductions, the girl worked on her caramel hair until a single braid fell over her shoulder. Percy immediately decided that this was by far the best hairstyle a girl could have, his mind starting to imagine what Zoë, Bianca, and Annabeth would look like with this, along with the extremely awesome white Greek dresses. He even made a mental note to put an asterisk next to Thalia, what with her short spiky hair, which fit her to the T.

This thought process, however, was quickly grounded, Percy blaming it on his ADHD and developing hormones. Though the image of all four of those girls, along with this Calypso, surrounding him in their braids and white dresses was extremely hard to forget, no matter how hard he tried.

Calypso, on the other hand, found the boy's behaviour extremely cute. Truth be told, she had always wanted to meet a guy who _hadn't_ wanted to jump on her the moment they first met. Both Odysseus and Frank were extremely charming, but they had wooed her to bed with them within an hour of their arrival, and it hadn't been six days before they were ready to move on. Of course, justice was served when both of them went back and learned that seven and three years of their lives were lost, respectively. Looking back, the Titan's daughter could only wonder why it was so easy to fall for them and quietly cursed the gods and fates that worked so well together to continually ruin her immortality.

Because of this, she refused to look at Percy as nothing more than a fourteen-year-old boy. A very good-looking fourteen-year-old boy. Who seemed like he would easily choose to protect her from whatever dangers lie in his way. Whose sea green eyes made it extremely easy to get lost in time, content at staring at those two identical pools of crystalline ocean water. Whose innocence made it certain that he would not break her heart on purpose…

Damn, she was already falling in love with him. _Curse the Fates, and curse whatever god sent him here!_

Quickly, before she got too focused on that taboo, she had to change the subject. "Uh, Percy, how did you get here?"

Percy had finally gotten back to where he could talk in a somewhat normal fashion; that is, if he trained his thinking on solely replying whatever Calypso asked him. As it was, his mind had inadvertently stumbled on bikinis and he was busy trying to determine which swimsuit would fit each of the girls he had recently met best. He'd already settled on a modest white one for Calypso that accentuated, rather than hid, her impressive bust and hips. Thankfully, he was torn from his inappropriate thoughts when the host of the island repeated her question. "Oh, well, I was running away from these goons this game known as 'The General' sent after me," Percy failed to notice the Calypso surprise at hearing that name, "when I accidentally ran into a giant robot that~"

"Excuse me, did you say 'robot'?"

"Uh, yeah. You know, mechanical body, marches clumsily."

"Oh, you mean an 'automaton.'"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that… Wait, did you not know what I meant?"

The caramel-haired beauty smiled sadly. "I'm afraid I probably won't understand much of what you say, for the simple reason as I do not know much about the outside world. Some gods and goddesses come by to visit me at times and let's me know how the world has changed, but as to modern words and phrases, I will most likely be clueless."

This … this was extremely depressing. The girl was obviously lonely - Percy vowed then and there that he would get her off this island that he had learned had become her prison. She had proven to him to be extremely kind, helping him get over his fear of this being some sort of trap. No, instead, he was fairly certain this was Aphrodite's work. "Um anyways, where was I? … Oh yeah, I was taking on this giant automaton in the Junkyard of the Gods. I think someone mentioned the name 'Talos' or something. He attacked my friends and I~"

"Oh, who are your friends?"

"Well, there's Grover - he's a satyr who I've known for awhile. We used to be roommates at a boarding school for troublemakers, but then I found out he was half-goat and all about how the Greek gods were real. Then there's Thalia, who is basically my cousin. I just met her for the first time six months ago, but I'd say she's already one of my best friends. Though we do tend to fight a lot. Then there's Bianca; she's a demigod who we recently saved, along with her brother. She joined up with the Hunters, which I didn't really like at first but realized it was for the best. And finally Zoë~"

"Zoë? Zoë Nightshade?"

"Yeah… how do you know her?"

"She's my sister. If I remember right, she's not very good with men… one of the god's mentioned something along the lines of Hercules when I asked about my family."

"You two don't look much alike, unless you count drop-dead gorgeous as a similarity… I can't believe I just said that," muttered Percy, not noticing the blush on the girl's face, nor the slight jealousy she was harboring for all the girls he knew. "Anyways, the giant buried me, Bianca, and Zoë under tons of god garbage. I was able to protect my friends, but there was nothing I could do about us being buried alive. So, I started praying to my father, Poseidon, and all of the sudden, the trash just falls off us into some rip in the ground."

"Rip in the ground? Did Grandmama Gaea help you?"

"Gaea? Who's she? Wait, that doesn't matter. Anyways, I looked down at my two friends who I was buried with, and all of the sudden I felt like only I could take on the giant robot. So, I sent them and my other friends off, so they could be safe, while I fought with Talos. After a few minutes of dodging his feet and gigantic sword, when I was randomly… _inspired_, I guess you could say, to stab the ground with my sword, Riptide. At first I thought it was quite impulsive, but then I blacked out and woke up here. And that's when I met… you…" Recalling his first time meeting the beautiful girl sitting across from him, the boy blushed an extremely bright red. Calypso thought it was incredibly cute how he was embarrassed about that, but she didn't really mind that much. After all, it wasn't the first time a guy had seen her naked, and it probably wouldn't be her last. Just as she thought this, she had to shake her head as a picture of an older Percy and her together popped up in her mind. No, she would not fall in love with this guy who was fated with breaking her heart.

"So, do you have a girlfriend back home?" … Why, why of all things did she have to ask that? She was only making this harder.

Percy, on the other hand, blanched at this and began to choke on the rather good lemonade Calypso's invisible servants had made. "G~g~g~girlf~f~friend? M~m~m~me? Why would I~I~I have a g~girlf~friend?"

Unfortunately, Percy wasn't fooling anybody, least of all a girl whose only relationships were love-related. No, she instantly knew that, while he might not have a girlfriend, there was a certain someone that he had an eye on. She instantly tried to ignore the hurt inside and pestered him. "Oh? Are you sure? I'm sure you're quite the popular guy. After all, you're rather handsome and quite heroic."

"M~me, handsome? N~no, I d~don't see how I could be h~handsome. I mean, after all, the girl I like just seems to see me as a friend, and all the other cute girls seem to either be not into guys, or liking another one. I mean, I'm on this stupid quest to save my best friend, Annabeth, and the only guy she thinks about is someone who has turned his back on everything we stand for." Damn, Percy just realized that his lovelife practically sucked. He mentally blamed it on Aphr~

"Hey, Mr. 'Nobody-likes-me,' quit your moping!" Percy and Calypso shot up, surprised as someone else spoke up. There, sitting at the table as if nothing was wrong, stood the goddess that, to Percy, was always looking like someone he had liked. Right now, it was almost as if her looks were fighting it out to look either like Annabeth or Calypso, but also had some shades of Thalia, Zoë, and Bianca, which made the sea demigod all the more concerned.

"Lady Aphrodite, it has been awhile," greeted their host, after she calmed down from the initial shock.

"It has, hasn't it? Wasn't it when Frank was here? Oh, that had to be one of the best thre~"

"LADY APHRODITE! Please!" Calypso cut in, eager for the goddess to shut up… though her face blushed at that memory. She had to admit, though, that was a seriously fun night. "… Ahem, as you can see, the other guest maybe a little _young_ for _that_ kind of talk." Percy, who wasn't sure what the two were recalling, may not have been smart, but he was pretty good at picking up hints and piecing them together. So, naturally, he quickly collapsed into another blushing episode after figuring out what kind of talk he was too young for. _Wait, three? As in two girls and one guy? So that means maybe Annabeth and Calypso~ No! Stop thinking like that, Percy! You're only fourteen!_

The Goddess of Love grinned, knowing exactly what was going through the young demigods mind. Oh yes, everything was going to plan, and at a much faster rate than what she had anticipated. Oh, she knew that the Percy-Annabeth romance was the romance of the generation, if not the past century. But a stereotypical "do-they-like-each-other-or-don't-they' back and forth would get awfully boring. No, love triangles were much more exciting. And if you added a few more love interests… oooh, she was getting way too excited! If only one of her daughters could interest this boy. But alas, Aphrodite knew full well that Percy did not really like the girls from her cabin. They focused too much on make-up and highlights, while the handsome demigod sitting next to her enjoyed a more natural beauty. Which reminded her, she still had to get him back for even thinking that Calypso was more beautiful than herself.

Maybe introducing him to a certain daughter of a movie star would be a good punishment?

"Uh, Lady Aphrodite, as I feel your plotting will only harm this boy further, may I ask you why you have come today?"

"Ah, yes! Percy, dear, your father sends his love."

"Dad?"

"Yes. He told me to tell you that he is extremely proud of you for unlocking the ability to cause earthquakes. It's been awhile since any child of Poseidon inherited that power. I believe the last one made the Mississippi River flow backwards."

"Wait, seriously? Dad can make earthquakes?"

"Of course. One of his pet names is Earthshaker, after all. Though I wonder if that has another meaning…"

"Ahem. Anyways, is that all, Lady Aphrodite?"

"Ah, dear me, getting sidetracked. No, I'm also to inform you that it's been three days since you caused a fault line all along the southwest of the United States to appear. From what I heard, it practically ensures Central America will be its own continent in another four million years."

Percy gaped, horrified at what he had done. But more importantly: "Three days! But how long was I out?"

Calypso shrugged. "You only arrived this morning." _And you're already leaving?! Why, Fates, do you always do this to me?_

"Well, this island here is separated from the rest of the world, so time flows a little differently. Calypso, how long does it feel like since you were placed under house arrest by Zeus?"

"A hundred years? It doesn't seem that long, but from what I've heard, I've been here for awhile."

"Try millenia. You've been here for three thousand years."

Calypso gaped at this, growing slightly angry. She was pretty sure her sentence was only supposed to be for a few centuries, since her role in the last war was extremely passive. Of course, Zeus was the only one who had sentenced her, seeing as all the other gods were busy trying to calm down their various kingdoms and responsibilities. She was pretty sure Hera was in on it, too, but seeing as Zeus constantly leered at Calypso back in the day, she was fairly certain the head god's wife was more than happy to keep one of history's greatest beauties forgotten.

"Anyhow, Percy dear. You've got a decision to make: either stay here in this island paradise with the _second_ prettiest girl in history," she emphasized, telling Percy that she knew full well what his opinion on Calypso was, "or you can go save Annabeth and your other cute girl friends."

Percy again felt his blood flush his face. He doubted he had ever blushed as much as he had in the past twenty-four hours. "T~they're not my g~girlfriends."

_But he didn't deny they were cute_. Aphrodite grinned victoriously, knowing she was slowly getting back at Artemis who had an amazing ability for recruiting girls that had excellent romance potential. She was sure her fellow goddess was scouting both Thalia _and_ Annabeth before a heavy load was dumped on her back. Well, two could play that game. Well, the stealing girls game, not the "Who-could-last-the-longest-under-the-sky" game. Ugh, physical labor. Not good on the nails.

"Nevertheless, if you don't leave soon, your friends, as cute as they are, will all be killed. And I'm sure you don't want that, do you?" The boy shook his head slowly. "Very good. Now be a good boy and get ready." The boy quickly scampered off, thanks to a few layers of charmspeak. In a few minutes he would realize that there was nothing to prepare and come back a little pissed. Still, she needed the few minutes to talk with Calypso, daughter of Atlas.

Said girl spoke up in a higher-voice than usual, obviously feigning contentment for the sudden reversal of the situation. "Ah, it's good that he can go back. Yes, yes, very good."

The goddess of love snorted, a very unladylike thing to do, which she didn't really care. "You do realize who you're talking to, right? I know exactly what's going on in that heart of yours, and lying to yourself will only make it hurt more."

Calypso's false bravado instantly collapsed into a very depressed state. Four hours. That was all she needed, and she had fallen completely in love with the demigod. And that was all the time she could get with him. "I think I would appreciate the advice more from somebody who didn't come here to break my heart."

"Ah, don't say that. Let me tell you a little secret." Aphrodite leaned in close, whispering into her relative's ear. "Love is a funny thing. You might think it's reserved for one person, but it can be shared."

The Titan daughter leaned back, shocked at what the goddess was implying. She had said love. Not a bed - Calypso had already experienced that - but love. She knew that there was already someone in Percy's heart. But was there any more room for her?

"It's not like that would even matter. Percy… he's leaving. He's leaving me behind. I'll never be able to reach him again, thanks to this cursed island."

"Ah, but what if he could get this punishment lifted? Say, put in a good word to the council that meets in about twenty-four hours? I'm sure they would consider it if you gave him some information about your father."

"You're saying I should betray my own father?"

"Didn't he leave you behind to make one final stand on Mount Othrys, using you as bait so he try to kill the gods by dropping the sky on them?"

"Well, yes, but~"

"And you would rather help someone like that than the person you love?"

"No, but~"

"Or are you just afraid of more heartbreak? Listen, I know what that boy was thinking. I'll admit, his feelings for you may lie a little more on the side of lust, but he does want to help you as much as he can. Those two feelings together are more than enough to build a relationship. Give him an incentive. Ask him to save you. The boy is fourteen - he still subconsciously wants to be the knight in shining armor."

Their conversation was interrupted when, from a ways off, a voice roared out the Greek goddess' name in fury. "Oh, that's my cue to take off. If you could give this Percy. It's a gift from his father. Something about how water can flush away any impurity or something like that." The goddess handed Calypso a small, green bottle. "And for what it's worth, if he had decided to stay, you two would have gotten extremely bored. That boy loves adventure. This way, both of you can escape this hell masked as a paradise." And, with a few seconds to spare before the demigod reappeared, Aphrodite shimmered away in glitter and bubbles.

Calypso sat there, staring at the little bottle in her hand, barely listening as the teen-aged boy rampaged about being toyed with by gods and goddesses. Finally, she had enough and cut him off him in a low, serious voice, "Percy, can I ask you a question?"

The boy stopped in the middle of his tirade and, reading her mood, instantly calmed down. "Um, what is it?"

"Listen, I know you plan to get off this island, but I have to ask: what do you think of me?"

Percy stared at her, unsure of how to answer. Personally, he wouldn't mind staying here; Calypso was as good of a person as he could ever meet, plus he would be hard pressed to ever find anyone on her level when it came to looks. He could wind up happy. Plus, the girl would be quite happy to no longer be alone, even with someone as pathetic as him.

But there were his friends. They were in danger and needed him. He needed to save them, or else he would feel like a failure for the rest of his life on this island. And, seeing as Calypso here had lived for three thousand years, chances were that his life would be a very long time. He couldn't live like that.

"Listen, Calypso… I want you to be happy. I want you to laugh while enjoying everything you can. I… I don't know, but I feel like you deserve something else. Something better. But I've got to go. I won't be happy if I choose to stay here with you - not because of you. Hades, anybody would be more than happy to stay with you. No, knowing that, because of my lack of action, people I care for died will make me feel dead inside. And I doubt you want to take care of someone like that, who never will be truly happy."

"But… if I were to get off this island, would you still… care about me?"

Percy blinked after hearing that question. It seemed like a no brainer. "Of course! I mean, if you got off this godforsaken island, I'm sure that we could be, err, friends." Not to mention it would heighten the chance of him seeing this goddess in a swimsuit. He would never admit that, even if the perverted idea came to mind right after he said that.

Hearing this, Calypso gave an imperceptible nod of conviction - she would follow love. "Listen, Percy. I need to say something about my father." Percy immediately focused on her, confused. "My father is named Atlas."

"Atlas? You mean the guy that holds up the sky?"

"Yes. Before he was forced on that punishment, he fathered me and Zoë. He was the second-in-command of Kronos' army, and unlike his brother, he could not be killed. His endurance and strength were too great. So, instead of sending him to Tarturus, the gods elected his present punishment as a means to keep him out of the way."

"That's … unfortunate, but can I ask why you brought him up?"

"Because he goes by another name: the General."

At once, everything started adding up for Percy. The General's sore back; Luke, Annabeth, and Artemis all taking the weight of the sky; Zoë's trepidation that she failed to fully hide and shock at hearing that nickname. "But… the General… Annabeth… How...?"

"Listen, Percy, you cannot kill him, nor can any god - he is too powerful. You must force his punishment back onto his shoulders, and quick, or else everything you hold dear will be destroyed."

"But… your father…"

"I sided with him before. Yes, you heard right," whispered the caramel-haired goddess, sensing her love's shock. "And this was my punishment: loneliness, and heartache. I don't want to feel these things again, especially if the man who betrayed me gets away with his crimes. So, in return for letting you go, w~... would you save me?"

Seeing her eyes glisten with some unshed tears as the moon slowly rose changed Percy. He could not stand seeing the girl in pain from the years of loneliness and misery. From that moment on, he made a silent vow - that he would never hurt any girl that he was close to. And, despite the fact that he had only known this island princess for a day, he could say she was one of the closest people he would ever meet. Standing up straight, the boy firmly grabbed Calypso's shoulders, forcing her almond-shaped eyes to look deeply into his own. "Calypso, I will get you off this island. I'll break down the forces of time and space that keep this place apart from the rest of the world if I have to. This I promise on the river Styx." Thunder in the distance echoed, sealing his oath in godly power.


	3. Thalia Gets a New Friend

**Hello, everybody! I must say, that was some decent feedback in the first forty-ish hours of publication. Thank you for the support! I'm rewinding the clock a bit, now. I mean, reading about how the greatest of heroes sailed on a raft for a few hours may seem incredibly exhilarating to some (wait, isn't that the entire story of **_**Life of Pi**_**? Minus the tiger, of course, but...), but there were another four heroes that were a part of this prophecy, and they're… actually finding the quest a little bit easier, now that the trouble that follows Seaweed Brain around isn't near them. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. And throw a few reviews in. I'm a big boy; I can take it, I promise!**

* * *

_Kelp Head knelt on the battlefield, his beloved sword sinking into the dirt. Down descended the giant foot of his enormous foe, growing closer and closer to stomping the demigod flat. Thalia began to run - there was no way Kelp Head was going to die for her. No way in Hades was she going to allow him to do that! If he died, then she would march straight through the Underworld gates and then proceed to beat his spiritual butt back to life. And then she would kill him!_

_And yet, even as these plans were forming thanks to her ADHD, she knew there was no way she could reach him. No, she knew that he was going to die, in a horrible way, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. No, just like she did to protect her friends from hellhounds and Furies, he too kept back, knowing that it most likely would be his final battle. Tears raced down her cheeks as she still tried to speed up, despite knowing it was hopeless. _

_Then, without warning, the entire valley exploded, muting her horrified scream: "PPPEEEERRRRCCCYYYY!"_

Thalia awoke with a start, her lungs heaving back and forth, trying to regain the breath her sleepless self was holding during that horrible nightmare. She quickly sat up, eager to make sure no one else noticed her panic. A loud wheezy snore informed her that Grover was still asleep. Typical - back when Luke, Annabeth, and she teamed up to make a break for Half-blood Hill, the satyr had gone in to a food coma… just as a hydra decided to see how three demigods would taste. She had never liked lizards and snakes since then.

Suddenly a little something shivered slightly next to her. She looked down and was surprised to find the raven haired hunter, Bianca, curled up next to her. It took a minute for Thalia to recall the young demigod coming up to her earlier that night, apologizing for her actions in Percy's disappearance, confirmed as nothing more thanks to that empathy link with Grover. It turned out that it was the new Hunter who took something from the Junkyard of the Gods, and not Percy, much to their quest leader's shock. Finding out who the real thief was only pissed off the punk demigod more than she could ever remember - it almost reminded her of the rage she felt with her mother. Of course, Bianca then explained why she had stolen from Hephaestus' scraps - she found something she knew her brother Nico would appreciate and wanted to give it to him, as a reminder that she still loved him. Naturally, Thalia's anger instantly disappeared; after all, she had a brother who she missed, too. After that, Thalia turned into the bigger sister figure, the only thing that ever came naturally for her, other than swordfighting. They had fallen asleep together, Bianca hugging her relative of unknown origins, crying at the guilt she felt for taking away one of Thalia's most precious people. Her tears still stained her cheeks.

"She looks up to thee," whispered a voice in the dark. Thalia immediately reached for her mace can, already in battle mode. "Relax, it is only I."

"Zoë…" The daughter of the sky god quickly calmed down. "You should warn others before you decide to speak up in the middle of the dark. Otherwise you could find an electric spear smashed in the middle of that pretty face of yours."

"Would a warning even matter? You would still jump, anyways."

Thalia sighed in agitation. No matter how much she tried, this Hunter princess always got under her skin. Especially with the "thees" and "thous." This was the 21st century - only people who acted in old plays spoke like that nowadays. Still, Zoë's words were true - it didn't help that she was especially jumpy after watching a guy she may argue as being her best friend disappear without a trace in front of her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bite at you like that. It's just…"

"You had a nightmare, did you not?"

"... Why of all people did you have to be on guard duty this hour?"

"Because the satyr would only fall asleep at this time, and you and Bianca were too depressed to stay awake."

"... You really have to work on tact."

"What was your dream about?"

Thalia debated whether she should tell the Hunter. She could already guess what Artemis' lieutenant would say: _You should not worry about a boy. They are useless creatures. No, trust in us, thy fellow sisters. _Blah blah blah. Still, perhaps letting her feelings off her chest, even to someone who was practically androphobic, could help her think things out. "I was dreaming about… yesterday."

"Ah, Percy. I must admit, he surprised me."

"Oh?" _Zoë is impressed? About a guy? What's next - the apocalypse? Oh wait..._

Zoë stared blankly at the punk girl, as if she knew exactly what she was thinking. It unnerved Thalia a bit. "You should not just assume I ignore even a man's accomplishments. They are nothing but trash, but their actions can be praised."

"Ah, very wise, Master," muttered Thalia in as sarcastic of a tone as she could muster. Luckily, satire went completely over Zoë's head, so the girl arrogantly nodded her head in gratitude of the faux praise. The punk girl decided to play along with it. "Pray tell, Master, how is it that thou wast surprised by Percy's actions?"

"You and I are not so different, Thalia Grace," the Hunter lieutenant stated, ignoring the sound of Thalia grinding her teeth at the mention of her surname. Or maybe it was the mere concept of something related between them. "Both of us are beautiful, both of us have loved, and both of us were betrayed by the man we loved. But whereas you merely hate the man that lied to thee, I hate all men in general."

Yeah, this conversation was getting nowhere; if anything, it was only making Thalia all the more pissed. "Can you get to the point? I don't really fancy a 'rise against the male supremacy' speech."

"The point is," continued the Hunter crossly, "you have given your trust to Percy, despite him being a boy. And he paid back thy trust with his life. I merely point out that that is impressive."

Thalia just stared at the Huntress, wondering if she had any clue what she was talking about. "You know, he saved your life, too."

"Nonsense. That boy could never save me."

"Says the girl that was knocked out during the fight and woke up only when Talos had disappeared into that rip in the ground. Take it from me - Percy protected you and Bianca from that trash avalanche, he somehow shook that mountain off you two, he gave you two to me and Grover to get you to safety, and then he took on a twenty-story tall robot just to give us enough time to carry you out of the danger zone. HE. SAVED. YOU."

Zoë stared blankly again, this time from the overload of new and completely foreign information. A boy had saved her? That~ That was impossible! Why? Boys always wanted something in return - whether it was a girl's body or an apple - and they were more than willing to forget about you once they got what they wanted. There was always something more! A giggle broke her from the recesses of her mind, earning her ire. "Why do you laugh at me?"

"Sorry, it's just your mouth~ hahaha!~ your mouth just keeps opening and closing in shock. I think Percy would say it's like some random fish that only he knows about. Hahaha!" It took several minutes for Thalia to calm down to continue. Throughout her giggling fit, neither Grover nor Bianca woke up, much to both of the older girls' amazement.

"Does the satyr always sleep like this?"

"His name is Grover, and he could fall asleep with a jet engine inches from his face. What about her?"

"No, I think she is only tired. Today was hard on her."

_Yeah, it was. Knowing a friend is gone due to your actions would zap anybody of their energy. _"Anyways, Zoë, care if I ask you a question?"

"Thou have just done so, but continue."

"The idiot that betrayed you… It was my dumb brother, Hercules, wasn't it?" Zoë stood stock still, paralyzed at the mere mention of that hated man's name. "I realized it when you treated me just like a guy. I mean, I can't be the only girl who has ever turned down the Hunters. No, you have some bad history with children of Zeus!"

"That's~ What does it matter? That was years ago."

"And yet you still hold a grudge on guys in general!"

"Like Hercules, men will be men. They will only do what they want, and forget those that helped them on their way."

"Except Percy won't."

"And can you tell me why he will not? Why is Percy so special?"

"You're so blind to your hate you won't even look at him. The guy - he's practically hardwired to protect people. I mean, just look at his fatal flaw: Annabeth says it's personal loyalty, and everything he does suggests she's probably right, like usual."

Zoë sputtered at that. Of all fatal flaws, that one was no laughing matter. "That… that cannot be. Personal loyalty?"

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it? If I remember right, a certain Huntress was willing to risk everything for the Lady of the Hunt."

"Prove it!"

"Okay. Now, granted, I wasn't there, but Annabeth told me all about it. Do you remember when my dad's lightning bolt was stolen awhile back? Percy was the one who was sent to retrieve it. And you know what he planned to do? The idiot literally wanted to hold the world for ransom in order to save his mother.

"If that's not enough, just think of why he joined up with us in D.C. He didn't join on this stupid quest for adventure or for the fame. I'm pretty sure he could care less if we save Artemis or not. No, he came because his best friend is seriously in trouble. And it's because of that damn personal loyalty that right now he isn't with us."

The little rant had accomplished its purpose: it had left Artemis' right-hand girl speechless. Zoë knew that Thalia was speaking the truth, because it just made sense. Why else was the boy so stubborn into getting in on this quest at the beginning? She wouldn't be surprised if he still would have followed them had Pheobe not been pranked at all. He had then offered to run off, keeping the skeletal warriors off of them as they tried to find Artemis. But the fact that the skeletal warriors had his scent at all was a cause for consideration. After all, her fath~ err, the General should not have had anything related to Percy Jackson on him. No, if he wanted the skeletal warriors to hunt them down, then… then something of Artemis was used to track her and Bianca! Percy had sacrificed his sure survival in order to protect a Hunter!

This news was almost the final nail in the coffin. Still, she wasn't willing to admit that there was something right with Percy Jackson all along. No, she needed to confront him first and get it straight from him. She needed to find out why he played the hero, and what made him so different from… _that _man. There was only one thing she could do at that moment, though, with Percy somewhere unknown and unavailable to interrogate: stall. Stall, and stay away from Thalia Grace, because that girl was trouble.

"You have given me much to think about. Perhaps Percy… is not like Hercules. But I will decide that for myself… later."

The punk demigod smiled, fully aware that Zoë's opinion was already changed, even if she denied it to herself. "Go to sleep, Zoë. I'll take the next watch." She looked on as the Huntress grunted, which seemed as unladylike as someone who wore a tiara could get. _Percy… where in Hades are you? And how am I going to explain to Annabeth that you're missing? She likes you, dumbass, and she'll kill me once she figures out you're gone. So get your butt moving and be her hero._

* * *

"So, how are we going to get to California now?"

Thalia and Zoë both blinked when asked that by the younger girl. For some reason, neither of them had even considered what to do. They had found a beat up truck that had some gas in it and driven as far as possible into the night, somehow made it up the Colorado River, and arrived at the Hoover Dam. The sight of which instantly reminded Thalia of her two friends, Kelp Head and Wise Girl, and them missing out on the attraction. As a way to honor them (even though she was well aware they weren't dead yet), she elected to spend a little amount of time to enjoy the landmark. It helped that the rest of the group were hungry, prompting Thalia and Grover to engage in a witty exchange of dam puns. Percy would have enjoyed that one.

Of course, only after they ate did they realize their transportation problem.

"We could have somebody drive us," suggested Grover. Thalia figured that was out of the question - who would want to drive four smelly kids all the way to San Francisco?

"We could go by bus or taxi," piped up Bianca again, though this was also shot down, since there was a certain lack of money they had to account for.

"We could break into one of the cars and have me drive," chimed in the Huntress lieutenant. This was immediately turned down, no questions asked.

Bummed at the idea of a dead-end, Thalia elected to go on a tour of the dam while the rest enjoyed lunch, wanting some time to think. The previous night, the daughter of Zeus had seemed confident in Percy, but the truth was, she was extremely worried about the boy who was gradually overcoming Annabeth as her best friend. Don't get her wrong, Annabeth was awesome - brave, loyal, and unbelievably smart, a trifecta that made an excellent demigod friend. But there was also the slight problem of Annabeth having relationship issues - like, there was a boy she liked, and, like, he acted like she wasn't even there - that she would always keep bringing up. And Thalia, being much more of a straightforward person, would constantly tell wisdom's daughter the same thing: tell the idiot how she felt. It wasn't her fault Annabeth ignored this advice; sometimes Wise Girl thought too much.

Thalia knew exactly why Percy ignored the … _tiny_ (more like microscopic) hints her friend would send: Luke. The daughter of Zeus couldn't believe that her friend had developed a crush on the guy; she was five years younger than him, and he had treated her like a little sister the entire time those three were together, which Thalia could easily guess had continued long after she metamorphosed into a tree. And Annabeth had secretly shared with Thalia one of her greatest hopes: to save Luke, something Percy was fully aware of. Even if her childlike crush on the older guy was basically gone, the lingering feelings for Luke who had blatantly tried to murder Percy in cold blood was only driving those two apart.

The funny thing was Thalia was absolutely sure that Percy would be more than welcome with the idea of Annabeth and him getting together. The goddess of love showing up just twenty-four hours earlier was a dead giveaway. Why else would she crash on Percy's personal quest to save Annabeth? If Percy only knew how Wise Girl felt about him - but damn that girl's stupid pride.

And as Thalia continued thinking about her missing friends, the Hoover Dam tour continued on. The guide continued to ramble on about various facts, ignoring the guys who practically worshipped the ground she walked upon. Well, Zeus' girl couldn't necessarily blame them - the tour guide was absolutely stunning. Why she was working on such a pathetic job was beyond the demigod, because she seemed pretty smart, too. Still, Thalia wouldn't have minded if all the guys had focused their attentions on the beauty queen sprouting random bits of knowledge, but that was not meant to be. A few creeps were actively trying to hit on her and a redheaded girl in their group as well, and the two had naturally fallen to the back of the entire tour.

On they walked, the punk girl stealing a few peeks at the other victim of slight sexual harassment. She had to admit, she could see why guys would want to hit on the redhead. She seemed like the cute artsy type, though less airhead and more arty, if the thousands of doodles on her jeans were any kind of hint. The sketchbook in hand helped confirm that. And the way she walked, somewhat bored but at the same time attentive, Thalia could tell she would be someone fun to hang around with. Seeing as they were in the middle of a very boring hallway, Thalia was curious of what she could possibly want to draw, so she fell back slightly, enough to look over the other girl's shoulder.

The girl was good. Like, real good. Like having a gift from the god's good, which made Thalia slightly suspicious but no, no hints of godly power or monster. The daughter of Zeus breathed in relief, but still was troubled. What really sent off red flags for Thalia was not what but _who_ the redhead had drawn - a gray-eyed being of unparallel beauty in a white Greek dress. And she looked remarkably like Annabeth.

Thalia eyed the artsy girl again. How could she draw such a picture-perfect portrait of a being that she had never met? Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, so, mustering up her courage, she attempted something she hadn't tried in the last seven years: talk to a mortal girl. "You're really talented, you know?"

The redhead shot straight up, startled that some stranger other than a creep was striking up a conversation with her. Next to her stood a girl who, despite the punk haircut and leather jacket, could not hide how pretty she really was. She'd be an excellent model~ oh wait, she should respond back. Growing up in a rich home had unfortunately closed the girl a bit off from the world, so her social skills with normal people was severely lacking. And since she would be a freshman at a _normal_ high school next year, it was best to take the opportunities to practice when they came. Even if this girl seemed pretty … punkish, she still seemed pretty cool. "Ah, thanks. It comes with practice."

The punk girl smirked. "You still need natural talent to be that good. Oh, the name's Thalia."

"Rachel." The two girls exchanged small, nervous, but eager grins with each other, becoming fast friends. "Where are you from?"

"I grew up in LA, but recently moved to New York." _More or less true. It may have been over five years, but it's only been six months for me_.

"Really? I'm from New York, too! Which part?"

"Er… I've got a cabin out by the orchards, and stay there with a bunch of family." _Telling half-truths is pretty tough_.

"Sounds amazing! It probably would be excellent material for my drawing muse!"

_Sorry, but you can't go there_. "Ah, speaking of muse, what goddess was the model for that one? I mean, judging by how pretty she is, some of my friends would love to get tips from her." A little blunt and forward, but hey, she had a deadline to make. In about thirty-six hours, she was going to be sixteen, which meant the fate of the world was drawing closer. That, and Annabeth's life.

"Err…" Poor Rachel was in a bind. In all honesty, the model was right in front of her, right now telling twenty-five people how much water was pumped through the dam everyday. Of course, in everybody else's eyes, she looked like a way too attractive park ranger in khaki shorts and a red button-up shirt. To Rachel, though, she looked exactly how she was drawn, with dark hair, the grayest eyes the artsy girl had ever seen, and a gorgeous white dress that fit the woman perfectly. But how could she admit that to the first person who had been friendly with her for no other reason than just that? Most people who heard her perceptions on what she saw thought she was crazy.

The punk girl, seeing her new friend anxious for some reason, decided to ease her along the best way she knew how: by forcing the truth out of her. She stopped, looked the redhead straight in the eye, and, in as serious of a voice as she could muster, posed one question: "Have you seen this woman before?"

"... Yes."

"Where?"

Rachel didn't want to, but something about this punk girl made her want to obey every command and answer every question as truthfully as possible. Hesitantly, she rose a finger and pointed at the tour guide, who was now calling authorities on the radio to escort a visitor out for being too handsy with the staff. "It's her. I can't explain it, but she looks exactly like she does on my sketchpad."

"That… that shouldn't be possible." Rachel's shoulders fell hearing that. _Great, another one thinks I'm crazy._ Thalia quickly tried to comfort the depressed girl. "No, no, I believe you. It's just, if it's true… please, could you wait with me after the tour? I want to talk with that guide…"

Luckily, they were on the last stretch. Soon, everybody started heading off to different attractions, leaving the two girls alone with the beautiful park ranger.

"Oh, seeking more knowledge, ladies? It is alway important to do so, but it is even more important to know what you can do with that knowledge."

_Yep, definitely Athena. What other twenty-something-year-old would talk randomly about knowledge?_ "Actually, my Lady, I~ my friends and I need your help." The goddess' eyes shot up in surprise at Thalia's lack of concern for using such formal language. After all, there was a mortal there. Her sister grimaced and then leaned in close. "I'm not sure how, but she can see through the Mist, even better than me. She was the one who figured out who you were."

The goddess nodded her head and looked at the redheaded mortal with interest. Humans like her had almost just as bad luck with the Fates as half-bloods - either they would be plagued with visions of monsters, questioning their sanity; or else they were destined to gain the affection of a divine being, only to be cast away, most likely caring for a child by themselves. She was tempted to have her maiden sister recruit the redhead to save her from pain, loneliness, and heartache, but something held her back. Instead, she motioned for the girl to step forward, which she promptly did, though somewhat nervously.

"Relax, mortal. There is no reason to fear."

_Yeah, some woman who hides her true identity with some weird magic and calls me "mortal" expects me to be calm…_ Rachel seriously wondered if it had been wise to tell Thalia about the crazy woman, making the older woman chuckle. The laugh kind of pissed off the aspiring artist. "What's so funny?"

"Oh? I think it funny that a mere mortal would question the sanity of the Goddess of Wisdom."

"How~?"

"I think the 'Goddess of Wisdom' bit is a little self-explanatory. As to my sanity, there is no reason to fear - I am perfectly fine, even if I popped out of the head of my father. As for the sanity of a few of my brothers…" The gray-eyed goddess gave a small shake of her head, almost as if she pitied them.

"So wait… it's all true? The monsters and weird people I've seen, walking around as if everything was normal - they're all true?"

"Yes, child. Though I must ask you not to speak openly about this, for your sake. It would not be wise to share such dangerous information to people who are disinclined to believe you."

The redhead nodded, starry eyed and immensely glad that she wasn't crazy. She glanced at Thalia, who gave a small smile. Rachel grinned back, realizing that she was no longer alone.

"Now, I must ask you to hurry back to wherever you need to go, child. But know this - Fate has plans for you. Whether they be good or evil, I cannot say; but do not forget this conversation, and stay ready, for one day soon, another one like Thalia will meet you. Until then, child, I'll give you my blessing," and with one graceful dip, Athena kissed the forehead of the girl, causing Rachel to blush. It wasn't every day a goddess gave a blessing to you, after all.

As the redhead walked away in a daze, the Goddess of Wisdom turned to her sister, who had a small smirk on her face. "Pray tell me, dear sister, what amuses you so much?"

"Oh, you're a lot like Artemis, always trying to take care of troubled girls. At least you still see the importance of guys."

"And yet I choose not to get intimate, for I know it would prove unwise."

"Yeah. I hear pregnancy can be horrible… wait, is that the reason why you won't go all the way?"

"That is~ you speak awfully impolite to a goddess, child."

"Oh, wait, that's not right. No, you were mentally scarred after Hephaestus tried to get you to play."

"Honestly, that oaf, thinking he was worthy of me? Then again, he is loads better than Ares." The goddess shuddered at that thought, before realizing time was short. "Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let me offer you advice. Sometimes angels are ready to help at unexpected times."

"Angels? Isn't that some Christian thing?" Unfortunately, the punk demigod knew exactly what her sister was talking about. But for those to work… why would her father hear her now, when he had never even bothered to help her until Hades almost one-upped his brother and killed his niece. And his way of helping her then was to turn her into a tree. Of all the ways, a tree.

"I urge you to be most quick. You still have 583 miles to go." And just like that, Athena disappeared, leaving a bewildered and worried demigod behind.

* * *

"So, we're supposed to bring these angels to life?"

"Yes."

"And they'll take us to San Francisco?"

"Yes."

"…"

"You all seem awfully okay with this. We'll be flying, without any safety gear, at fairly high speeds, I might add."

"Well, it's a lot better than Zoë's grand theft auto idea. This time, we're stealing statues!"

"It's not stealing! It's merely borrowing... without permission from the Hoover Dam! And they're my father's anyways! So, in a very round about way, you could easily say they are mine!"

"And I heard that, satyr."

"Baaahh. Why can't Hunters ever be kind to a little goat like me and call me by my name?"

"Because you're a creepy twenty-year-old trying to impress middle-school-aged girls and who cries when they call you out on it?" Winner: Bianca.

All the back-and-forth banter was good and all, but Thalia was on the verge of a mental breakdown. _Dammit! Why heights? Why do I have a fear of heights? Why couldn't it be, I don't know, a fear of goats?_ It didn't help that the one person who knew about her phobia and could soothe her into getting over it was currently somewhere in the world. The daughter of Zeus wouldn't be surprised if he was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. _Please hurry, Percy. I could really use you right now._

* * *

**Yay, Rachel Elizabeth Dare makes an appearance! Just because Percy wasn't at Hoover Dam this time around, doesn't mean one of the quirkiest girls (seriously, she can draw with her feet!) is getting away that easily! And unlike last time, where she didn't get much of an explanation, she got one from the Goddess of Wisdom herself! Maybe she'll be more prepared when she runs into the natural disaster known as Percy Jackson?**


	4. Percy Talks like a Pirate

Percy jumped as a wave of water splashed against his face, smashing his head against he top bunk. The sharp pain made him wince in agony, rubbing his head to ease the feeling, though it didn't work. He looked up to see his "jailor" holding an empty bucket and gave him as angry of a glare as he could manage. "You know, I would appreciate it if I wasn't splashed in the face with a bucket full of water, especially when I'm _awake_." Sure, he wasn't wet, but it had startled him enough to .

The jailor just grunted. He always grunted no matter what Percy asked him - from how long the guy had been under the service of his captain to how bad the Knicks were. Percy wasn't even sure if he could use words at all.

Still smarting from the pain, the young demigod sighed at the current situation. Even though he would have preferred arriving in San Francisco, heading off his teammates to end this stupid quest, instead he found the raft he used to escape Calypso's island next to a giant battleship, run by pirates. Real swashbuckling pirates. That alone was enough to give the boy a massive migraine. Of course, actually being captured, being punched in the face as well, actually did give him a migraine. That blow to the chin still hurt.

And then they sent him to his "cell." Honestly, that was the worst, because he was greeted by a terrified sq~

"P~percy Ja~Jackson~ EEP!"

"Yeah, yeah, you've said my name every other minute for the past hour. And I still don't know how you know me."

Trying to hide behind the opposite bed underneath a very drab blanket, a girl shivered. Well, Percy assumed it was a girl, judging by the high-pitched squeaks of fright. He guessed it could have been a rather large mouse with a tan complexion and black hair. It was kind of hard to tell, as the sheet she was clinging onto barely revealed the slightest of her features.

This… this was definitely a first for Percy. He wasn't used to someone so obviously terrified of him. After all, he looked like a normal teenager, especially when he wasn't waving his kickass sword around. Maybe his face was beaten so badly it bruised, and that was why she was afraid? It couldn't have been what he was wearing - the clothes he got from Calypso were still in mint condition. She really was amazing with that.

He decided to ask the girl _again_ what her deal was. Maybe the eleventh time was the charm. "Hey, you alright? I'm not going to hurt you, you know."

"... You~ You're Percy Jackson!"

"Yes… and you know me how?"

"EEEP!" Okay, this was getting really weird. So, obviously the girl knew about him, and that was the reason why she was scared. Had he ever done anything to a girl before?

He tried to ignore all the circumstances with Medusa, Echidna, Circe, the harpies, etc.

"Listen, I'm not sure why you're scared of me, but could you at least tell me what's the deal with those pirates? 'Cause there's somewhere I kinda need to be at, or else my friends are going to get crushed by some Titan general guy."

Unfortunately, the girl had decided to keep quiet. Annoyed, Percy tried to ignore her scared gaze and instead focus on his situation and what he had on him. He checked his pockets and found everything, including Annabeth's way-too-awesome Yankees hat, as well as the mysterious little vial Calypso had given him before he left.

Of course, those thoughts helped him recall her last parting gift - his first kiss. And man, what a kiss that was. He was so shell shocked that Calypso had to be the one to push off and get him to sea.

The memory of how she smelt like cinnamon, which her lips oddly tasted like as well, made the boy blush a deep shade of red.

"Is that how you react when a girl walks into the room?"

Percy looked up, only for his flush to get quite a bit deeper. Seriously, what was with all the beautiful women coming into his life lately?

There, in the doorway, stood a Hispanic girl, staring down at him with dark eyes. Her shoulder-length, choppy black hair framed her proud face. She looked like she was an upperclassman in high school. Of course, it was taking every effort for Percy to focus on her attractive face, because her body, in his mind, was a ten - a form-fitting tank top and cut-off jean short shorts did little to hide her tanned arms and long legs. The boy doubted there was an inch of fat on her, other than what might have been the most impressive rack he had ever seen on a human girl. All in all, she looked like she was some awesome action movie actress that would fit right in killing zombies or something.

Slowly his mind rebooted from the shock of such a hot girl, forgetting that she asked a question. The new girl rolled her eyes, turned, and spotted her other cellmate, shivering in the corner. She immediately shot as angry a glare as she could muster at the one boy in the room. "What did you do to my sister?"

"Sister? Oh you mean her? Nothing! She's been like that since I was pushed in here, I promise!" Percy answered desperately, panicking at the look the older girl was giving. What with Thalia, Annabeth, and Zoë, he knew hot girls could have a temper. Fortunately, the new prisoner seemed able to accept this, swearing under her breath and quickly moving to comfort the terrified occupant of the room.

The son of Poseidon spoke up, concerned. "Um, is she always like this?"

The older sister looked at the only male quizzically and stayed silent for a few minutes. In the awkward silence, it felt to Percy as if she was trying to figure how she could kill him in this small room. Luckily, this wasn't the case. "No. She had some trouble dealing with the pirates at first, but not on this level."

"So it is me…" sighed Percy. He turned to the girl still huddled up in her blanket and gave a quick apology. "I'm not sure what I did, but I won't do it again, okay?"

There was no reply, but at least the shivering went down again. A little progress, Percy supposed.

The two female occupants started whispering furiously between them in Spanish, leaving the boy alone, not that he minded. In his mind, it was better to be ignored than feared. Despite only knowing how to count to ten in Spanish, he could actively guess what the two were talking about. Did Percy do anything? Don't worry, he's an idiot, blah blah blah. Well, that's what most of his female friends would whisper to each other whenever they thought he wasn't listening, specifically Thalia and Annabeth. It kind of hurt his feelings. Well, at least he couldn't really understand what these two were talking about. Though, if he had to venture a guess, the younger sister was named Reyna, and the older was… Hylla?

Everything clicked - an attractive girl with a clipboard, her name on the tag she was wearing, leading Annabeth away for some spa treatment while he was left in the care of ~ "Circe! You were there with Circe!" The younger girl qualed at the sudden interruption, but Percy ignored that. Instead, he looked at the two with horror. "S~ She's not here, is she?" He really didn't want to be turned back into a guinea pig only six months later - he still got nightmares from that experience.

Hylla angrily glared at her fellow prisoner, making the son of the Sea God back up as far as he could on the bench. She was bigger than him, and he had plenty of experience being beaten up by high-strung girls. Plus, she learned under a witch goddess that felt men made better rodents than humans. Percy wouldn't be surprised if she let him know how much her former teacher instructed her in ways of the arcane.

Fortunately, the girl answered his question with words, and not her fists nor magic. "No, she ran away, thanks to you and that blondie unleashing a bunch of pirates on that spa! She and a few of her _closest_ apprentices managed to escape, while I stayed back to protect Reyna. And we've been their prisoners for the last six months, thank you very much."

"... Oh… sorry?" So that explained why the younger sister was so scared of the boy. He basically was the reason why she lost her home and was now on a boat with a bunch of pirates. And if the younger sister was anything as remotely attractive as Hylla, then… Percy shuddered, hoping that the two girls were still … good.

It seemed the older sister picked up on his worries, so she eased his mind. "Don't worry. Though these pirates are pretty disgusting and make at least one lewd joke about me or my sister whenever we're doing chores, they usually know to stay clear with us."

"Eh? Why's that?"

"The Captain threatened to feed them to whatever sea monster was in the area."

This time the younger sister stammered out a further explanation, no doubt trying to muster up some courage. "W~we're al~also d~daughters of B~bellona." As if that explained everything. Of course, Percy had no clue what she was talking about, but now that she was finally opening up a bit, the boy could see that she was a miniature Hylla around his age - in other words, pretty hot. A small blush blossomed again on his cheeks, earning him a threatening glare from the older sister.

She turned back to her little sister, scolding her. "Reyna, you know we shouldn't go around saying that. He's Greek, after all." Her eyes widened as she realized that her voice may have been a little louder than the whisper she intended. Slowly she turned to Percy, hoping that he hadn't caught on to what she was saying.

It wasn't meant to be.

"Um, who's Bellona? And what does me being Greek have anything… wait… there are other gods?!"

Both of the captive sisters flinched, realizing that a huge secret had just been revealed. They kept glancing at each other, trying to figure out what to say, when Percy spoke up again. "Ah, well, should have figured that." The two girls just stared at him, awestruck at how he was taking this so chalantly. He noticed their looks and tried to defend himself. "When you think about it, if there are Greek gods, then it would make sense if other gods were around. I mean, I'm pretty sure places like Japan and China knew nothing about Zeus. What gods helped them?"

"So, you're alright with the fact that there are Roman gods as well? Greeks and Romans don't mix!"

"Oh, so Bellona is Roman? Huh. Then again, Mr. Brunner taught Latin, so that would fit~"

"Mr. Brunner? Who in Hades' name is that?"

"Eh, old teacher. Nevermind." Both girls once again stared at the boy, wondering just how bad the usual demigod symptoms of ADHD were in Percy. "Look, like I said, I don't really care whether you're Greek or Roman. In the end, we're the same children of gods and goddesses who like to watch the adventures we demigods stumble through. You fight monsters to stay alive; I fight monsters to stay alive. Anyways, I've got somewhere to be, so is there any way to get in contact with the captain here? Wait, this is just like Pirates of the Caribbean. There's a word… parleley, parlelellyleloooo, par le nee, partner, par... snip, parsley…"

"Parley?" Reyna offered.

"That's the one! Parley! Parley!" Percy got up and started shouting the word down the hall, leaving the two flabbergasted at the boy's … erratic personality. How could someone be so random? One minute he was basically giving them a motivational speech, and the next he was quoting a comedic scene in an epic movie. They just sat there, staring at the boy's back, trying to figure out the puzzle behind him.

Pretty soon the dumb guard came to take him to the captain, but before he left, he turned to the sisters and asked them what the name of the captain was. And there was another odd aspect of the boy's personality: obliviousness. Seriously, how did he ever escape the Sea of Monsters?

"Edward Teach," explained Hylla, her voice layered in a deadpan monotone, "otherwise known as Blackbeard."

* * *

_Wow. Now I know why he got that nickname. That is one awesome beard._

"Argh, what did you think of the two lassies?"

Percy shook his head, his attention broken from the man before him stroking his amazingly long, curly facial hair. "Lassie? Like that dog that died in the movie?"

The pirate captain frowned. "What is this 'movie' you speak of?"

Percy was stumped. The guy didn't know what a movie was? "Er, it's… it's like TV."

"Teevee? Is that some sort of device, much like this ray-dor and in-tar-calm?"

"Uh, sure. But you can see things in it. I guess you could say it's a box that carries a play, and Lassie is one of its shows."

Teach grunted. "Blast these technarlagenies. What me soul would give but for a compass and a map. Or me old ship. If I recall right, yer the feller who stole me boat, lad."

"Err…" Percy didn't know what to say. Last time he was on any pirate boat, a cyclops had smashed it with a giant boulder. "A boat? I don't remember any boat."

"Ya mean ya don't remember me beautiful _Queen Anne's Revenge_? That ship was top of the line, boy. All them redcoats could do nothing against me vessel on the open seas. Why, half me crew were from them hulks."

"Oh, that ship! Yeah, it was very nice. Amazing! Sailed beautifully!"

"Ah, yes, boy, it does. Still, it helps when ole Barnacle Breath's very own boy guides the ship, right boy?"

A vein started bulging in Percy's head. This man had insulted his father! No one did that. As he studied the pirate, trying to see how he could bash his head in a bit, he noticed an all-too-familiar sneer. "You're Ares's son!"

"Aye! That's right! Me da would be so proud of all the destruction I did in me day. And now look! Me da blesses me a metal ship that can float for me crew and I to sail the seven seas! It's a bloomin' miracle, lad."

"Uh, you know that all war ships are made out of metal now, right?" That shocked the pirate captain. "Yeah, it's been like that since, like, a hundred years ago."

"Lies! Doncha talk to me like that boy! We will destroy them redcoats and find me some gold." Percy wanted to tell him that whatever these "redcoats" were, they were no longer able to be destroyed, but the next words out of the pirate captain's mouth shut him up for a bit. "And yer gonna help me!"

"...Wait what?"

"I said, laddie, that you're gonna help me! A son of Poseidon belongs on the sea, boy."

"... You know what I did to your dad, right?"

"Aye, and lemme say, I'm mighty happy ya did that, boy. Da needs to be brought down a peg or three! Why, look at meself. I'm just a humble pirate, bent on finding me some treasure. Da is always thinkin he's the best, but we pirates know there is always someone better; if we come across them, we fight and try to beat them. It's as simple as that."

"Seriously? You're all battle-hungry idiots?"

Blackbeard ignored the insult. "Aye! And lemme tell you somethin', boy, I always won. E'en when everythin' went to Hades and ole governors bought sailors to hunt me down - strong sailors at that, boy - I always won. And I let them know it! Why, doncha know why they call me Blackbeard?"

"Because you have a black beard?"

"Err, aye, so it is, but it is mostly because I let them live to see it! They would always know that I, Edward Teach, beat them."

"... So?"

"So?!" Blackbeard shouted, making the boy jump before quieting down again. "So, whatta say: will ya join me crew?"

"Wait, that was a recruiting pitch?"

"Err, ah, aye, so it was," stammered the pirate captain. Now this was familiar territory for Percy: no matter who they were, it almost seemed assured that Ares and his children all tried to hide a self-conscious side of theirs. Percy could really start to see the resemblances of a friend from camp in the once-thought-dead Blackbeard. It made him kind of sad that they actually lacked confidence. Not sad enough to accept the offer, but still kind of sad. Of course, he was sure that refusing his offer meant his throat slit and his body dumped somewhere off the coast of California, so he had to play smart with this.

"Well, Captain Blackbeard~"

"Just Blackbeard, boy."

"Yes, Blackbeard, sir. Can I have some time to think about your offer? I'd rather not decide too quickly, you know. A choice like this is pretty big."

"Ah, aye, that is wise, boy." Percy stifled a small laugh; who would ever think a son of Ares would talk about being wise? "I'll give ya an hour. Nothin' more. Now, get yaself back down to ya cell, boy. I've gotta figure out where we are. I still haven' got a clue about dis ray-dor thing yet."

* * *

Hylla seriously hated her life. No matter what she did, who she met, and where she went, trouble always seemed to pop its ugly head and mess up everything. And for some odd reason, trouble seemed to have a name: Percy Jackson.

She wasn't sure why she was thinking of the brat at the moment. Usually, when a girl thought of a boy as she stood there changing, it was for reasons that would only embarrass them if it was ever found out. And yet, right now, the older teenager was rehashing everything that had to do with the son of Poseidon in her life. And despite the little amount of experience with him, the girl was absolutely sure about one thing: wherever Percy was, Chaos loved to be.

She remembered the first time she saw him, with that blonde daughter of wisdom, practically stranded at sea. She knew her boss would take an immediate interest in the girl - pretty, smart, and ambitious? The girl was destined to become Circe's second-in-command within two years. Not that Hylla cared at all. She was simply there to keep her little sister away from anything dangerous. Frankly, she was shocked that Circe even let them join; it was way too obvious that the two sisters had absolutely no talent in magic. Then again, she might have thought they were cute and could be "trained" to be proper play toys - Hylla was absolutely sure that the goddess had no interest in guys, what with the entire guinea pig thing and all.

That idea had sickened the girl as she watched the dark-haired, green-eyed demigod steered away by the beautiful witch-goddess. In ten minutes, another rodent would be added to the collection. Perhaps that was why Hylla let the daughter of wisdom roam off in the direction where the transformation would occur. Of course, she had no idea that the two visitors had the means to undo the magic; she also had no clue that an entire crew of pirates were in the same room under the same spell. So, when she first saw Circe running away from a large group of men, she stood there, too shocked to move. Pretty soon her sister and she were rounded up, and Hylla knew that her wish to protect Reyna from violence had not come true. And that all started when a son of the sea god popped up.

Now, truth be told, she didn't mind her life as a pirate "captive." Sure, she could feel the trolls known as the crew staring at her and her sister lewdly, no doubt imaging something … unappealing. Hylla couldn't blame them: it had been a good three-hundred-years since they "got some," and the two Ramirez-Arellano sisters were attractive. The older teenager had that much confidence in herself. That didn't stop it from being an uncomfortable feeling, and Reyna was much too young to have to experience something like that.

Luckily - and shockingly - the pirate captain, of all people, would not allow his crew to do what they pleased with the two girls. For all the fear his name would incite, Blackbeard… really was a nice guy. He saw potential in the girls and taught them how to fight with swords. After four months of his training, he became what amounted to a surrogate father to Hylla and Reyna. And like all surrogate fathers, he simply waved them off when they expressed this to him, claiming he had done too much in this world to ever deserve an affectionate title like "father." Besides, he needed to help them, since all three of them were "children of war."

It had taken another two months before the sisters finally understood what he meant by that. On that night, as they sat "enjoying" their meal of extremely old MREs in their "cell," a voice whispered to them, calling herself Bellona, and claiming them as her "daughters." The voice seemed proud and hungry, almost as if she was looking for a fight, which seemed odd with the whole "long lost family" vibe the two got from her speech. They quickly noticed a weird symbol on top of their heads and panicked, fleeing to the captain's cabin to see if Blackbeard could help them understand what was going on. Instead of him trying to calm them down, like they expected, he just started laughing at them, like they should have expected. After a few minutes of him howling in amusement, much to their growing embarrassment, their surrogate father calmed down enough to explain that they were demigods, Roman at that. Seeing as he was Greek, they were bound to be mortal enemies. He then stifled another laughing fit after seeing their uneasy faces, claiming he never understood why there was a bloody rivalry between the two faiths, anyways. In the end, they were practically the same thing - a bunch of arrogant people who behaved more like spoiled children than almighty gods.

No, Blackbeard was many things, but a devout son and pawn of the gods, he was not. Still, the two girls he had practically come to see as daughters deserved to know everything they wanted. He offered them a choice: become part of his crew, or get properly trained back on the mainland. They had promised to think about it, when, unfortunately, trouble in the form of Percy Jackson appeared again. It came as a shock when Hylla found Percy in their "cell," his face extremely worried as Reyna, who really acted like a tough girl most of the time, cowered in the corner.

She then noticed a soft side with the boy, and gradually watched as her sister came out of her shell.

Of course, the older sister had heard rumors that the troublemaker was a natural born leader with a hero-like sense of justice, managing to have a little fun while he's at it. It didn't help that the boy was quite good-looking, even if he was only fourteen. All that made one thing clear: he was everything Reyna would like in a boy, and the older girl figured her sister was developing her first crush right before her eyes, even if she still hid behind a blanket from him. It didn't help that the boy obviously thought she was cute, what with the obvious blush from earlier.

Hylla could only shake her head at this turn of events - she had never seen the point of romance. She wasn't gay at all; she liked younger boys. But that was mostly because they were intimidated by her awesomeness; or at least, that's what she thought. It was then that she realized that she never really had a guy to dominate - all the boys in Puerto Rico thought her sister and she were daughters of the devil, and every guy that made it to Circe's Island Adventure were quickly sold out as a pet guinea pig. And all the guys on board were older than her.

Hmm, maybe she should test her interests on the incarnation of trouble himself…

Just as she was bending down to take off her short shorts, uncaring that her butt (something she was quite sure of) was proudly displaying the pink panties she wore, she heard her sister start. Looking up, she noticed her sister frozen in the middle of taking off her bra that held back the girl's impressive set of boobs - not nearly as big as her own, but far bigger than any other fourteen year old. Curious at the look of sheer horror that was etched into her little sister's face, Hylla turned her head, finally noticing that the door had opened.

And there, staring at the two with a look that somehow entailed both terror and pleasure, was the very same fourteen-year-old boy she had just been thinking about. His face just kept opening and closing, much like a fish, which seemed hilarious considering who he was. All three occupants of the room just stood there in the moment of awkwardness, each too unsure of what to do next.

"N~ N~ Naughty?!" The boy stuttered out something which didn't please the older sister at all. She was about to beat the shit out of Percy, but then she stopped. Wasn't that word printed on some of her panties that were given to her by her old boss? It was another piece of evidence against Circe and her claims of being straight.

So perhaps Percy was just reading off her butt that was still pointed right at him? Hardly his fault.

Okay, maybe she wouldn't beat the shit out of him. Slowly, she stood up and turned toward the hormonal teenager whose eyes instantly raked in the sight of her long and lean legs. She was surprised to note that the boy basically knew it was against his better judgment, what with how he kept trying to tear them away. But an older girl with nothing on waist down but her panties was too much of a temptation to look. She understood that - hell, if a hot guy her age wore nothing but boxers, she'd have trouble looking at his face, too.

Still, an eerie grin broke out on her face, a grin that had come to be the bane of any pervert that ever tried to peek on her or her sister. It was one reason why none of the pirates who weren't eunuchs ever came down to the cell. It spoke of horrible pain and suffering. Beautiful, yet dangerous. And that grin was the last thing Percy would see before feeling something smash against his face.

* * *

"Hylla, should you really have kicked him in the head? He really could be hurt. Maybe a concussion."

"Reyna, relax. Your boyfriend will be alright."

"B~boyfriend?!"

"Besides, I doubt he will be too angry once he wakes up. He walked in on two girls changing - I wouldn't be surprised if he had a few wet dreams right now."

"Hylla! How could you say something so… so…"

"Huh, why did I say something like that? Has the rest of the crew rubbed off on me?"

Percy was hearing this conversation that really should have been private, but fortunately for the two sisters, his head was pounding too much to actually follow what was being said. The only thing he could do was groan, informing the two of his suffering.

"Eeep!"

"Ah, so the pervert is awake!"

"Pervert?"

"Well, what else would you call someone who walked in on two girls changing and didn't leave?"

Ah, that was right! A memory flashed in Percy's brain of two super hot pirate chicks in their underwear. Wait, no, his head was throbbing because of that sight - it's best to file that away in his mind. Right next to Calypso's cute butt and groping Bianca's small yet developed boob.

Besides, something slightly more important popped up: Blackbeard's deadline.

"Shit! How long was I out?"

"Er, maybe five minutes? Enough for Reyna and me to throw some clothes on. Why?"

"Only five minutes? Good, so I still have about forty minutes to make a decision…"

"Decision?"

"Uh…" Percy hesitated, unsure if he should tell the older girl what was up. He basically had two strikes when it came to her - he had ruined her life and then saw something "naughty." But then, who else could he rely on at the moment? Certainly not the younger sister - the girl his age was hiding behind her sister like it was the last thing blocking her from the world's most horrible monster…

… which he realized that, for a teenaged girl, a boy who had torn her from her home and then spotted her undoing her bra would definitely rank up there among horrifying monsters.

Fortunately, Hylla seemed to be quite clever and figured out what the boy was worried about. "So, he wants you to join his crew?" The older daughter of Bellona couldn't help but frown at this - she was sure Reyna wanted training on the mainland, but if her new crush chose the life of piracy...

Luckily, the boy had other plans. "Yeah. But I can't do that; I've got friends to save! They're going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it if I'm stuck in the middle of the Pacific!"

Reyna looked at the boy from behind her sister, awed by his heroic nature. It was like his enthusiasm and bravery was visible around him, surrounding him in a sea-green glow… her sister would so tease her so bad if she ever knew what was going through Reyna's mind. Still, the boy's courage was kind of contagious, enough for the younger sister to break out of her shell just a little bit. "S~so, why not s~say n~no?"

"... Because he'd kill me?"

Hylla shook her head, trying to hide her surprise at her sister opening up a bit. "No, even though his father's a warmonger, Blackbeard doesn't like shedding blood. He'd rather drop you off at your preferred destination than have your blood stain his floors."

"Really?"

"Well, we're technically his prisoners, but he's trained us and helped us understand about who we were. I think he'd still have his men treat us well, even if he didn't know about our mother."

"Oh, that other goddess..."

An awkward silence filled the room. The two sisters were unsure how to respond - it's not every day someone learns there are other gods besides the ones they worship. They still were having trouble understanding it a week after they learned about it.

Of course, Percy didn't really care. So what if there were other gods; it didn't change the fact that these two hot girls were actually quite friendly. He mentally shook his head at the "hot" description. Seriously, what was with him lately? Was checking out every girl some kind of withdrawal from missing his crush? He really needed to find her soon, or else he might start hitting on girls. And, knowing Percy Jackson, Percy was sure that would lead to disaster.

Finally, the boy's ADHD had to break the silence. "Um, listen, you two really don't have to feel like you need to explain anything to me. I can see it's some kind of big secret, so… what I'm trying to say is, it's alright not to tell me anything."

The two girls smiled at his lack of concern. Of course, Hylla could tell he was just trying to keep them happy - which was good for her sister, since the girl never had enjoyed much of her life. Maybe, after all this was over, she could help push Reyna and Percy together - even if they were Greek and Roma~ Wait, what was she thinking?! There was no way she was letting these two younger demigods live some sappy Romeo and Juliet love story. No, no romance. That was final.

"So, I guess I should tell Blackbeard what I'm going to do…"

"Yeah, though if you don't mind, I think it'd be good if we come along. We've got something to say to the Captain as well, don't we, Reyna?"

The younger sister hummed her agreement while glancing at what Hylla could only assume was her prince in shining armor. Hylla rolled her eyes. "You know, if you really want him, you're going to have to make the first move. Guys are awfully dense, from what I hear," whispered the older sister in Reyna's ear, making the younger girl yelp in embarrassment and hide her face in her blankets again. Reyna tried not to show it, but she really had a cute side.

It was times like these where the boy really wanted to know what in Hades girls had go through their heads. His experience with girls was practically limited to Annabeth, Thalia, and Clarisse, and considering those three girls were interested in architecture, punk music, and fighting respectively, there were times he questioned whether they were truly girls or not, a crush on one of them notwithstanding. Maybe he'd get back to camp and talk with Silena Beauregard about them.

That was the last thought he had before he heard a muffled yell behind him. He turned just as what looked like a body was thrown past the window. The frown on his face, mirrored by the two girls, suddenly morphed into horror as a new face peered into the room - a face that Percy knew only too well.

After all, how could anyone forget the face of an unkillable zombie whose sole reason in life was to hunt you down?

* * *

**Hello again, everyone! So sorry it took forever to get this out... I had a small case of writer's block about how exactly I wanted this to come out. I then realized that, by the time I got to the end of the chapter, it basically was the same length as the other ones. So, how about a little cliffhanger?**

**Honestly, I can't think of an unluckier character in the entire series than Reyna. I mean, her entire life is crap, and she doesn't even really get that much of a reward in the end. Even Nico, the kid who had to go through as much of a hell as there is in the series by himself and living his life with an unrequited love, got a good ending. Reyna? Nothing. Just stuck being the Praetor for a bunch of bloodthirsty teenagers, with a partner who already has a girlfriend. **

**And all Reyna wants is to be loved. That's just not fair.**

**Plus, her sister is awesome. Frankly, hot warrior girls are right up there with femme fatales in my book. And seeing as all the femme fatales want to see Percy dead (unsurprising, of course, but there could have been _one_ redemption project), hot warrior girl is right up my alley. Of course, the BDSM vibe that her... tribe exhibits is somewhat of a turn-off. Meh...**

**Anyways, did anyone realize how fast both Reyna and Hylla shot up to stardom in both of their respective groups? They met Percy in the summer of 2007... and by the summer of 2009, Reyna was the _elder_ Praetor in the legion. Two years, and she had risen to the top. Now, let's just give a rough estimate on her trip there, based off of actual facts and hints on what other characters went through:**

**An old American battleship could only go 20 knots at top speed. Naturally, pirates wouldn't go top speed, so cut that by half. Now, from Florida to the Panama canal is roughly 1000 nautical miles. So it'll take roughly a week for the pirates to make it to the Panama Canal. From there to California would take roughly another two weeks (seeing as the distance is about twice as long). So, it'll take roughly three weeks to get from what we consider the Sea of Monsters all the way to San Francisco. (Percy and co were aided by magic, as was Luke and the Princess Andromeda - I doubt the pirates had these considerations, seeing as they weren't in any important quests.)**

**Of course, I doubt the pirates set off right away. They live on an island paradise with all the food and water they could want. So, I gave them roughly six months of leisure.**

**Now, we learned that it took Percy two months to fight his way from Wolf House to New Rome. And that was with a Percy hyped up on Achilles' curse. **

**All told, it probably took Reyna roughly a year to go from new recruit to Praetor.**

**Now, she may seem extremely out-of-character in this chapter, but remember, she was scared of Percy when he first showed up in Son of Neptune. And that was after she went through the crap of pirates, hungry wolves, and rising through the ranks of a bunch of bloodthirsty teenagers. Now is only six months since her home was lost, so I could imagine her being scared shitless by the very boy who ruined her life.**

**Also, about the crush... the older girl started hitting on Percy within hours of first meeting him, despite being scared of him. She's a girl who falls for a guy fast.**

**Anyways, sorry again about the late update. Enjoy the chapter! Give a review! And if you want to read anything more by me, check out my Pokemon fic, where Ash is destined to be the Chosen One... except a few obstacles are in the way.**


	5. Percy Gets a Hero

Being in a small room with two hot girls would normally be awesome. Being in a small room with two hot girls with a bloodthirsty zombie trying to get in… was not.

Percy's mind instantly recalled a number of horror movies he had seen over the past few years. He wouldn't say he liked them - to be honest, he got pretty bored with them. Those movies weren't that scary when he had to deal with man-eating one-eyed giants and creepy guys who either chopped people up or stretched them out to "make them fit" on beds. Compared to that, horror movies were little more than child's play - and he spent most of the time trying to figure out how he would kill Freddy or whoever while protecting everyone.

That said, Percy knew fairly well who it was that more than often found themselves dead in the storyline, and glancing at the two girls that were trapped in the room with him, his ADHD-enhanced mind quickly judged who among the three would survive. He was already out, seeing as he was the idiot who focused more on the girls' looks and on the genre at hand than the actual situation. And poor Reyna was the cute, shy type who, even though everyone would prefer her to live, usually didn't make it.

Hylla, though, was clearly the heroine archetype who always survived. Cool-headed, resourceful, pragmatic - not to mention hot. Yeah, if this was a horror movie, the older Hispanic beauty would definitely be the one to survive.

Fortunately, this wasn't a movie about the zombie apocalypse - rather, it was real life, and in Percy's real life, however fantastical it may be, magical items were a real thing. And he happened to have a certain blonde's Yankee cap that somehow made its wearer invisible. Being a demigod may have its perks every once in a while - especially in slasher-type settings.

Acting quickly (while realizing that the entire horror-movie plot line was thought out along with his on-the-spur plan in a mere five seconds - sometimes he really loved his ADHD), Percy told the two Bellona sisters to keep quiet and not move before donning the cap. It was his third time going invisible, and it damn was just as cool as the first two.

Of course, he knew that the skeleton warrior currently working on the door knew he was in here. The invisibility could only go so far with these guys - he had been nearly caught that time in D.C., and that was with the element of surprise added to him being, as the General had said, "cloaked in shadows." The guy working on the door would probably know where exactly he was in the few seconds it took for Percy's scent to reach his see-through nostrils. But hopefully, those few seconds would be all it took to disable the Spartus momentarily. Percy wasn't an idiot; he knew the skeleton was unkillable, unless he all of the sudden became Bianca di Angelo somehow. Once again, he wondered how Bianca had managed to send one of those things to the Underwor~ oh Hades, it was obvious who her Dad was. How could Percy have been so stupid to not figure it out?

… How could everyone have been so stupid?

The son of the Sea God's train of thought was broken just then by the click of the door unlocking and swinging slowly. In walked the Spartus, just as terrifying as Percy remembered. He was wearing a Coast Guard uniform this time, a dark blue set that looked oddly comfortable, with a blue cap. All together a perfectly normal-looking officer of the military. Of course, that image was totally destroyed by his gray skin and yellow, soulless eyes. Horrible clicking sounds came from his mouth, as if his jaw was snapping open and shut. He looked at the two girls in the room, stopped, and then, as horrible as it sounded, sniffed.

Percy took that as a cue to attack. Out shot Riptide, and with a terrible swipe, the skeleton warrior fell forward, bisected at the waist. The teenager knew this wasn't enough and quickly smote off the two arms, hoping to at least slow the monster down. Already he could tell the two halves were somehow drawing closer to each other. Before he could do anything else, a knife was rammed into the back of the neck, burying itself into the ground. Percy looked up to see Hylla standing over the soulless body.

"G~Good idea," stuttered the pubescent boy, awed how someone so… violent could still look attractive.

"Quick, let's move. It won't take long for the Spartus to reform." Hylla grabbed both of the dismembered arms and flung them out into the hallway, then pulled both of the younger demigods out, quickly shutting the door. The skeleton warrior was now effectively trapped in their "cell" with no way to get out.

The three quickly dashed down the hallway, careful to avoid hitting their head on the low ceiling. Percy tried to not look, but he couldn't help finding the mangled body of the jailor lying a few feet away. It made him a little green, something he found ironic since he was one of a select few who had gone to Hades and literally walked with the dead. Of course, those weren't corpses.

"This way!" The older daughter of Bellona shouted upon seeing two more skeleton warriors down their path. The three dived into a separate compartment and Hylla quickly bolted the door behind them, keeping the undead away not a moment too soon. Within seconds, the door rattled violently but to no effect. They were safe… for the moment.

Of course, that didn't mean they were comfortable - no, not only were they being chased by some unkillable soldiers, the older Ramirez-Arellano had led them to a compartment that was sweltering hot. Percy looked around and noticed they were in the engine room. That was good. There would probably be a number of exits they could use to escape. Grateful for Hylla's smart thinking, he turned to thank her… only to realize that it might have not been a wise choice on her part.

"Um… so, er, how … old are you guys?"

"Percy, it's nice that you want to get to know us, but now's not the time for small talk," scolded the oldest demigod of the three, rolling her eyes at the boy's perceived lack of focus. Honestly, ADHD could be used as an excuse only to a certain point. And why was he looking at the rest of the room again? "Now, turn around and let's talk about the situation at hand."

"... I can hear you just fine, and this way I can keep track if anybody gets in here."

This stumped the older girl quite a bit. Her initial impression was that this guy liked helping others, something that seemed to be confirmed from his desire to meet up with his friends again. Yet despite that, why was the boy being uncooperative all of the sudden? He hadn't been like that in the beginning. Sure, keeping an eye on the rest of engine room was a decent idea, but it would make communication harder. They needed a plan.

Hylla would have asked him about this if her little sister hadn't squeaked out loud. Great, now her sister was embarrassed about someth~ wait, wasn't it incredibly hot right now? She could tell that Percy's shirt was getting soaked with sweat… Oh.

Reyna, of course, had already figured out what the son of Poseidon's problem was. She had instantly hugged herself, trying to cover her chest. Why, why had she chosen to wear a red bra under a white tanktop? It was stupid - really stupid. Sure, she wouldn't necessarily mind if Percy was the one looking (not that she could admit that out loud), but it was still incredibly embarrassing. Plus, given her sister's current state, she doubted her crush would look at her. While the younger sister at least wore a bra, Hylla usually went to bed without - something about it being too tight (which Reyna would admit was probably true; she would never admit, however, to secretly be hoping that day would come for her as well). And considering the time when they were attacked - well, it was easy to understand why a boy going through puberty would now be completely flustered.

It didn't help that the older sister visibly couldn't care less about it. "Look, Percy, control those hormones right now or else we're dead. Turn around and tell me why you have skeleton warriors chasing you," commanded Hylla in a tone fit for a queen. Reyna hid a smile at that - her sister definitely had a sense of authority, something she wished she had as well.

She watched as her new crush reluctantly obeyed, and she had to try to hide another smile as she noticed his eyes focusing on something behind the sisters. Of course, seeing as Percy was, in her eyes, a knight in shining armor, it was good that he meant to let the girls have their modesty. Reyna couldn't help but admire him all the more.

Percy, meanwhile, wasn't paying any attention on the younger sister's reaction. In fact, he was trying his hardest not to focus on anything about the girls other than what came out of their mouths. He definitely was not focusing on their breas~ and now his eyes were wandering down to both girls' rather abundant assets. Oh, why couldn't this dream sequence have occurred outside of a life-and-death situation? And why did that thought suddenly come to mind? No, focus. Focus was definitely need in this situation.

"Er, yes, about the skeletons… wait, how do you know about them?"

"Aeëtes was Circe's brother."

"Aye~ee~what?"

Hylla just rolled her eyes. "The guy who stuck those zombies on Jason."

"... Oh." Percy blinked. He recalled that those things had fought one of Greece's most famous heroes, but to have a connection with Circe? Then again, that witch would probably know how to make undead warriors. "Well, anyways, I might have accidentally stumbled onto a secret meeting between a Titan and his lackies, where eight of those skeleton warriors were made to start tracking some Hunters I know. But instead of the Hunter scent, those zombie things got something off of me instead."

"Well, that's a problem."

"Yeah, since they're after me, you two could probably get out of here and~"

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." Hylla was no damsel-in-distress, and she didn't need some self-sacrificing idiot telling her and her sister to save themselves. Besides, she was starting to like this son of Poseidon. He wasn't going to die if the older demigod had any say in it. "Reyna, get me a map of this room."

"Yes, ma'am." Her mini-clone shot off to accomplish her task, leaving their male escort impressed.

"She's… different now."

Hylla shrugged. "She's a daughter of Bellona, the Roman goddess of war. She was meant to be a soldier."

"That's kind of sad."

"Yeah. Yeah it is," sighed the older teenager. She caught the younger boy trying to fight off hormones and snickered. "You can look, Percy. I won't kill you for something that's beyond your control."

"You don't seem to care about your modesty."

"I worked for Circe. If she didn't turn men into guinea pigs right away, she seduced them and then turned them into guinea pigs. Modesty was never really that much of an issue at the spa."

Percy, upon hearing that, almost thanked Aphrodite to get his fill of lust, but thought better of it. This wasn't the time to ogle Hylla's cleavage. "Why do you also think it's sad that Reyna's meant for war? Aren't you practically in the same boat?" And, despite the situation, he couldn't help but chuckle at his little joke. Of course they were on the same boat.

With a smirk, the older girl shook her head. "Just because we're meant for battle doesn't mean we're not normal girls, Percy. Like every girl our age, we wouldn't mind having sleepovers with girls our age and talking about boys. I for one wouldn't mind getting a boyfriend." The humored smirk quickly gained a mischievous edge to it. "And maybe you wouldn't mind getting an older girlfriend?"

"W~What?!" Was this girl openly flirting with him? This super hot older girl that any guy would be ecstatic to even have a chance with? Percy had no idea how he should react. Besides Naiads and some Aphrodite girls, no one had actually flirted with him - and no one as cool as Hylla.

Seeing her companion panic with a bright red face, the oldest Bellona daughter just laughed. "Relax, kid, you aren't my type." She then stopped chuckling and considered for a second. "Actually, you kind of are. I mean, you _are_ pretty cute, and despite leaving us at the mercy of some pirates the first time around, it turns out you're a pretty nice guy. I guess dating someone like you wouldn't be that bad." That made the young boy blush, though he also wondered if this girl secretly liked younger guys. With a sigh, Hylla shook her head, though this time Percy could tell a hint of regret behind it. Was this girl actually speaking the truth? It was quite flattering. "Too bad hooking up with you would only break my little sister's heart."

"Wait, what?"

"All, it's so cute when guys are that dense."

"Hey! I'm not cute!"

"And it's so cute when guys get defensive about being cute."

Before Percy could retort, Reyna returned, carrying a laminated map with her. "Here you are." Noticing the embarrassed look on her crush's face and the delighted grin on her sister's, she hesitated, but asked: "What happened here?"

"Oh, just some harmless light teasing. Maybe a little flirting, too. What every older sister does to a boy her younger sister is interested in."

"H~Hylla!" Why did she have to say it out loud? Percy would never like her now, since her older sister had just spilled the beans like that! Reyna hesitantly peeked at Percy, afraid that he would be revolted. Instead, she just found him forcing himself to look away, a bright blush adorning his cheeks, not that she noticed. No, instead she was sure this was a sign of rejection! The girl's shoulder slightly slumped forward, crestfallen, though Percy may have noted that it gave him an excellent view of her cleavage, not that he perved on her like that.

Hylla snickered. These two were pretty cute together. If only there wasn't that whole Roman-Greek rivalry crap. "Now, now, you two, you can settle those feelings later. We've got some zombies to deal with." She then laid the map between the three on the floor and hunched over it, her sister shaking off the embarrassment and feelings of rejection to join her. Percy's perverted thoughts again struck when he realized that, from his vantage point, he could practically see down the two girl's shirts. He mentally cursed Aphrodite for this sudden fascination of the female body and turned his attention to the map… not that that mattered much. It seemed that, within seconds, the tiny writing had started crawling around on the page, away from him - right where both Reyna and Hylla were leaning forward. He figured it would be best to just let them do the strategizing and he do the cutting.

After a few minutes of studying the map, Hylla, having taken the lead with her age and experience, pointed to what seemed to Percy to be a random mark on the map. "That's an exit there that should lead to some lifeboats. We could probably escape if we destroy all but one."

Reyna nodded, her trained persona in control. "There will probably be hostiles."

"Luckily there's three of us. Percy said there were eight of them made, but I doubt all eight of them are on board. And one of them might still be out of commission if his friends haven't found him yet. It may go against some of our training, but Greek hit and run tactics may be for the best here."

Percy wasn't sure if there was a veiled insult against Greek fighting in their, but it didn't matter. Right now, all they needed to focus on was getting off the ship and away from the skeleton warriors. But there was another problem that had just occurred to him. "Wait, what about Blackbeard?"

Both girls smiled sadly. "He'll want to go down with his ship this time around," said Reyna softly.

"Which is why we must get off the ship as soon as possible," exclaimed Hylla. "No doubt Blackbeard will want to go down with a bang!"

Percy could just imagine how much of a bang a should-be-dead pirate son of Ares would go down with. They would probably need to be outside of a mile radius in order to escape danger from the blast zone. With a nod, the boy stood up with the two girls, and they quickly made their way to their planned getaway.

* * *

One Spartus. That's what stood between them and freedom. One single measly unkillable killing machine.

Needless to say, all three of them were quite nervous about the upcoming fight.

Still, it was good that the skeleton warrior hadn't noticed their group yet. It probably helped that both Hylla and Reyna were fairly good with tactics. Not on Annabeth's level (because honestly, who could get to Athena's greatest daughter's level - and Percy was fairly certain this stupid crush of his wasn't making him biased in that regard), but still pretty good. They had quickly realized that sending Percy anywhere near the monster would ensure the untimely death of the young son of Poseidon (or, in their point of view, Neptune). So Hylla had ventured out to scout alone, despite Percy's insistence to let the guy who the freaky zombies were really after do the job.

Percy still couldn't believe the older girl's methods of shutting him up. He also couldn't believe that boobs were that soft.

There was no way Annabeth was to ever find out what happened on this boat. And, now that he thought about it, it'd probably be wise to keep that info away from Thalia, Zoë, Bianca, the Hunters in general… oh, and Calypso. Gods, what was with all the girls that were getting into his life?

Wait, wasn't it just one goddess instead?

Again mentally cursing Aphrodite for suddenly becoming her new favorite toy, the boy listened in on the older daughter of Bellona's plan. It was… frightening simple - use Percy as bait. Of course the young demigod started to point out how he was turned down from being a scout to all of the sudden becoming live bait, but Reyna was ordered to shut him up this time. Sure, unlike her sister, the girl actually looked shy and embarrassed of what she was forced to do, but it was still quite shocking to see her that bold.

Yes, all of the other girls he knew would never, ever learn what happened on Blackbeard's battleship.

And now here he was, inches from a door that separated him from a monster with a one-track mind bent on sending him to Hades. Sometimes he really hated being a demigod.

With a last deep breath, the boy grabbed the handle and unlocked the latch. Opening the door, he stepped outside… only to meet the skeleton warrior face to face.

… Yeah, no matter how many times he saw one, these things were still the scariest things he had ever seen. He doubted he'd see anything as nightmare-inducing as these zombies.

"... Aaaaaahhhh!" No, that was not a war cry. Percy did not charge the killing machine head on like an idiot, no matter how many girls continued to call him that. No, he did the only sensible thing.

He ran.

Naturally, the Spartus chased after him. That was key to the plan. Since every single skeleton warrior was practically programmed to hunt him down specifically, the thought was that the one guarding the lifeboats would be on him like a bear to honey, and that part of the plan went perfectly.

What hadn't gone so smoothly was the fact that there wasn't _just_ a single Spartus.

There were three. And they had swarmed around the son of the sea so fast, Percy was almost positive they teleported.

Teleporting zombies. The world had come to an end.

Fortunately, Percy had his trusted Anaklusmos out, ready to slice and dice, if only to stall them if needed. Before they could whip out those cheat guns (seriously, undead with ammunition was completely unfair), Percy had hacked away two arms and dived to the left, hoping the gun going off was aimed where he had stood. Taking a half of a second to check whether he'd been hit, the young demigod turned and swung his bronze sword at an upward angled, hearing an odd squelching sound and the dull thud of a head being lopped off. Taking care not to look, he shot off down the deck, making sure to kick the guns over the side of the ship on his way by. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he noted with a smile that all three had followed him. Good. This allowed the two daughters of Bellona the chance to put phase two of their incredibly simple plan into action: seek out and destroy all lifeboats, preserving a single one for their escape. He was sure their part of the plan would go off without a hitch.

Up ahead, he spotted another door, and without another thought, ran in and locked the door behind him. He continued to run down the new hall, knowing he had only stalled the Sparti momentarily. As he rounded a corner, he saw quite the grizzly sight. Blood was splattered on the ground and on the walls, and bodies of the crew were scattered everywhere. On the far side, Percy saw a single man with wild facial hair coming up from some stairs, slashing his sword downward with a ton of power. Percy couldn't help but be awed by Blackbeard's ferocity, swinging with the sort of brutish strength the son of Poseidon had come to expect of children of Ares, only on a completely different level than that of Camp Half-blood's strongest child of war. It must have come with age and experience. He wondered if Clarisse would one day match this famous pirate's strength.

But then Percy watched as a gunshot rang out. The roguish demigod collapsed in shock. "Argh, I didn't expect you to have one of those, lad." He wheezed out a chuckle and then pulled out his own piece. "Too bad mine's bigger." With a great big spark and a terrific BANG!, he shot his foe, and Percy heard a body collapse down the stairs. "Ha! That should show ya, ya scurvy~" But before the pirate captain could finish his victorious boast, he wheezed out a cough, spitting out blood.

"Blackbeard!" Percy rushed forward to protect the son of Ares, but found no one there.

"Ah, laddie. Shoulda known you'd make it."

"Blackbeard, where's the Spartus? Where'd he go?"

"Sent him down to Hades, boy. That's where he shoulda been all this time."

It took a moment for Percy to process the captain's words, but his eyes widened as he realized what Blackbeard said. "Wait, are you telling me that you actually killed a skeleton warrior?"

That got a chuckle out of the older demigod, though it broke into a wheezing cough soon after. "I'm a son of ole Da, boy. I know a thing a thing or two about undead sailors." He then lifted his gun, which seriously looked old and worn. Still, Percy could tell the thing was powerful - he could almost sense the anger behind it. "Listen, boy. I know you know me Da, and I figure you know a few of me brothers and sisters. It looks like I finally found someone who could beat me, and me time is not long before I join the rest of me crew in Davy Jones' Locker. So, me boy, promise me this. Give this here Flintlock to a good kid of me Da, and tell them," the dying man heaved a cough, but continued in a fading, raspy voice, "tell them that Da means well. He might be a right bastard, but he means well."

"Er… I guess Clarisse could have it?"

"Eh? Me sister's named Clarisse? Ha… to think, the legacy of Blackbeard falls upon a lass." The pirate demigod again chuckles, broken up by a few coughs. "And what about the lassies here? Are they alright?"

"Yeah, Hylla and Reyna made it out. They should be in a lifeboat now."

"Good. Tell Hylla… she'll be a damn good Amazon. The lass has a bite to 'er, that's for sure. And tell Reyna… tell Reyna to always seek for a crew of 'er own. The girl has had a hard time, boy. She deserves some friends like 'er." The legendary pirate gave a pained smile. "When I first met them, I was surprised they'd shack up with that witch. Them girls are fighters. It's in their blood. So, I took 'em in and made 'em cabin girls. Oh, they weren't happy about it at the beginning. Had 'em swabbing the deck and other chores. I had promised to teach 'em how to fight, and all they were doin' was moppin' the floors. But then I told 'em: I started off swabbing decks. I started off being a nobody, but I stuck to it. And I became the stuff of legends!"

"... You're not like most children of Ares, are you?"

"Eh? You mean hardnosed, bloodthirsty idiots that rush into a fight? Oh, I was boy. I most surely was. Why do you think I became a pirate? Thought the entire life would be around fighting and such." The man paused, a sad gleam glazing in his eye. "Nah, one day, me brothers and sisters will see that not everything's about a good fight. I've seen a lot of bloodshed in me life, boy. Some good friends of mine cut down. I learned it took brains to live. Brains and luck. Searchin' out a fight… nah, that'd only get ya killed." He heaved another cough before staring at the young man he had believed could take his place - it had been the reason he wished to recruit the kid. There was something with this Percy Jackson that made people want to follow him - it reminded Blackbeard of himself.

"Boy, ya're a good kid. I can see ya got some potential. Ya know what it takes to become a leader."

"Well, I don'~"

"Shut up, boy! I'mma dyin' here!" Percy instantly closed his mouth. "Good. Now as I was saying, ya have the potential to be a good leader. Here's my advice: find yerself a crew. A bunch of people loyal to ya, and ya alone. Don't trust others in authority, because they might just stab ya in the back. Even 'em who might be lookin' down atchya, watchin' ya every move. But ya also gotta let yer crew be 'emselves. Let 'em find their own paths. Keep in touch with 'em, and be willin' to help 'em, but let 'em be."

Percy wondered what the old pirate was talking about. A crew? What did a crew have to do with anything? He really wanted to know what Blackbeard was talking about, but it didn't look like he'd have much time for that. It was best to leave the dying man in peace. With a subtle nod, the young boy assured the older demigod that he would do as the pirate wished. That put a smile on Blackbeard's face, though it was partially hidden behind his facial hair. "Good. Now run, boy. This ship is going down to Davy Jones' Locker, and I'ma planning on taking a few of them skeleton warriors with me."

The son of Poseidon understood immediately. He ran as hard and as fast as he could the way he came from, crashed through the door, bowled through what he assumed to be one of the zombies… and jumped overboard.

The second he hit the water, a loud explosion rocked the ship. Green fire shot out of the bowels, burning anything and everything they licked. As the ship continued to go down in flames, a small lifeboat pulled up next to Percy. He quickly got in, finding a still Hylla and a crying Reyna. They obviously knew what the explosion meant: Blackbeard was dead.

Quickly taking a seat to keep the small boat from rocking, Percy quickly rehashed what had transpired, making sure to tell the two the late pirate's advice, shocked he could remember it almost word for word. Both girls nodded glumly, accepting their father-figure's last words to them. He knew Hylla was trying to prove the belief Blackbeard had for her by not breaking into tears, but Reyna broke down easily. It came as a surprise when the super shy girl curled up to Greek demigod. Unable to know what to do nor make a move, he looked fearfully at the older sister, sure that some horrible punishment would be sentenced. Hylla eyed the boy critically before, to Percy's bewilderment, she made her way over, sitting down and leaning into him. Almost by instinct, the young boy spread his arms and wrapped them around both girls' shoulders, drawing them in, trying to show that he was there to help whenever they needed him. As they sat in silence, Percy couldn't help recalling Blackbeard's last words to him. _A crew, huh?_ He glanced down at the two girls hugging him for comfort. _Maybe getting a crew wouldn't be too bad._ He thought about other potential crewmates. There was Annabeth, naturally. Even if she never would have feelings for him, she was still probably his best friend. Which of of course Grover, who he always claimed as his best friend. His brother Tyson would probably come along. If Calypso could be freed, she'd probably join up. Then there was Thalia and Bianca - sure, one of them was a Hunter, but Blackbeard had told him to let them make their own paths. Heh, maybe Zoë t~... no, Zoë was definitely out. She'd probably stab him in the eye the second he suggested it. _Wait! Why is it almost only girls that I'm thinking of?_

Scared by his train of thought, the boy shook his head, noticing the two girls were already asleep. Well, he might as well tuck in, too. With a final commanding thought that the boat somehow obeyed, he relaxed, letting the waves rock him to sleep as the three made their way to their destination: San Francisco.

* * *

**Hello! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated this! I left you guys on a cliffhanger, and it took way too long to finish it. Then I read a Percy Jackson fic that had a decent premise, but hadn't been updated in over a year, and it made me realize that leaving you all hanging was too cruel. So again, sorry.**

**I'm seriously not sure about this chapter. Something just felt... off, but hopefully you all enjoy it. Please, please, tell me what you think. Any advice or such would be quite helpful.**

**Anyways, I'm not sure when the next chapter is coming out. I've got a Campione! fic I'd still like to work on (for those of you unaware about Campione!, it also has to do with mythical gods and goddesses... only, rather than being the kid of a god, the main character has to fight one), and there's also a Pokemon fic I've got. But I should be getting to this one sooner than later.**

**Until then, see ya.**


	6. When Grover saved Percy

"... May I stab him?"

Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus and a firm proponent for romance, was seriously thinking of letting the man-hating Hunter do as she wished.

"What?! You can't stab Percy! He's a hero!" This would have been true had the demigod's defense considered the son of Poseidon's noble sacrifice at a certain garbage dump. But a simple glance told his fellow questers that those actions were not what made Percy Jackson a hero in his best friend's eyes.

No, it was something more… perverted.

"... May I stab him and the satyr?"

Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus and a good friend of said satyr, was _again_ seriously thinking of letting the man-hating Hunter do as she wished. Internally agreeing with the millenia-old Hunter twice in fifteen seconds… This was starting to get problematic.

"H~Hero? Did I say hero? I meant he was a very bad boy. Bad Percy!"

"You make that hard to believe when you're obviously staring at him in awe."

"Er… Hey look, a weird fish-chicken monster!"

"... Nice try."

It had honestly not been. The three girls may have been incredibly exhausted (and who wouldn't be after wrestling a shapeshifting god and then holding off an angry manticore until another god granted them mercy, all in the space of a single hour?), but they were still battle-hardened warriors, even if the youngest had become aware of the paranormal just days previously. There was never a chance any of them would have fallen for the oldest trick in the book. Grover was once again finding himself to be in the unenviable position against multiple women - two of whom were the most stubborn bipedal humanoids he had ever met. Perhaps it was best to consider his own health before that of Percy's… They wouldn't be too rough on their savior, right?

As if Tyche was hearing his prayers, a contented sigh tore the three girl's malicious focus from him, drawing their dagger-like glares onto the male demigod currently dozing rather comfortably between two well endowed teenage Latinas. If the three of them could take their minds out of the gutter, they would have realized by now that it was actually a very cute scene. The smaller girl was hugging Percy rather tightly and possessively, as if he was her lifeline out of danger. Both of them were enveloped in the unconscious arms of the older girl, who Grover could only guess was the hot older sister. As he watched with a small smile, Percy started _snuggling_ closer to the older girl's chest… wait, those two gigantic marshmallows seemed awfully free of anything holding them back. Was she even wearing a bra?

Hey, Grover might have looked like he was the same age as everyone there, but he was really quite a bit older, and he was still a virgin. It should have been expected that he would notice those things.

He also noticed Zoë pulling out her Hunter's knife, her protege fiddling around with a rather sharp-looking arrow, and Thalia's hand inching towards her mace container… Yeah, not good. Not good at all. Percy was literally seconds away from dropping down to the Underworld - though Grover couldn't think of any better ways to go. Seriously, dying while you're asleep with those things as pillows? Much better than becoming a meal while wearing a wedding dress - trust the satyr, he knew. No, no, now was not to be enviable of Percy's current position nor recall very horrifying memories (having a giant cyclops being infatuated with him was a nightmare Grover wouldn't wish on anyone else). No, no, now was the time to save Percy from the Hunter! Move, Grover! Mov~

Or let Percy's cousin do it. The "protector" (though who was he kidding?) sighed in relief as he watched the daughter of the sky grab her rival's shoulder to hold her back. Yep, leave it to the natural-born leader to figure out how to get out of this mess. The satyr nodded contently at his first demigod's actions befitting her fath~

"Don't worry, Zoë, I'm right behind you," urged Thalia with a very scary smile plastered on her usually cute face. Yeah, the goatboy really shouldn't have been so naive. A girl alright with the rather risque positions of her best friend and two unknown females? There was no chance in Hades that she, nor any girl for that matter, would have thought a teenaged boy burrowing himself further into that well-endowed of a bosom was cute. Grover knew that the sentence for Percy's crime had already been given, and there was no way he was going to be anywhere near his best friend's "punishment."

"Percy! Wake up! Wake up or you're going to be killed!" Hey, at least he gave a warning before scampering off to avoid two murderous Hunters. Grover may have been a coward, but he was most of all a loyal coward to his friends.

Fortunately, the three in the little rowboat found it hard to ignore the incredibly loud and annoying bleat of a satyr before the bow-wielding maidens had made him into a pincushion. It took a few seconds for them to get out of their groggy half-conscious state, but it was rather obvious when they did. Percy and the younger Latina yelped in surprise at their positions, their faces instantly delving into an atomic red blush. The other girl just yawned and went back to enveloping her hug pillow within those amazing curves of hers, much to the pillow and her sister's shock and embarrassment. Only this time, Percy's face found itself being smothered by those two great mounds of flesh.

Huh, Grover found an even better way to kick the bucket.

"W~what?!"

"Mmmmmmpf!"

"Hylla, you're going to suffocate him!"

It might have taken a few minutes, but finally everybody was able to save the son of the sea from a cruel fate in the older Latina's stronger-than-imagined grip. If only that was the only threat to Grover's best friend's life, but alas, there were still three just as deadly girls waiting their turn at bringing divine judgment down upon the head of the unfortunate sinner.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight… after setting off the biggest earthquake Arizona has ever felt, you found yourself on a battleship, commandeered by one of the most infamous pirates of all time."

"Yes," confirmed Percy, knowing full well that that was only a partial truth. After all, he couldn't just tell them about Calypso's cute butt and kiss - he had just somehow managed to avoid being impaled, and sincerely wished to remain without any unnatural holes in his body.

"You were able to befriend two girls of unknown origin~"

"No, they worked for Circe." Again, there was no point in letting them know that they were Roman. He was also going to avoid mentioning seeing them in their underwear and their sweat-soaked white tanktops. Again, his life was on the line.

"... of _suspicious_ origins," continued Thalia, her annoyed look shared by both of the Hunters, "enough that they liked to use you as a hug pillow." That just made all three of them more upset, especially Zoë. Artemis' lieutenant was in an extremely bad mood - the split lip on Grover's face could attest to that after he made a rather lewd comment. "And then, with the help of those two girls, you were able to escape from a bunch of Sparti and make it back here."

"In a nutshell…"

"I don't like it!" The new comment only made Percy groan. He should have realized that the girl who had held a grudge against men for thousands of years would not buy his story. It probably didn't help that he had two mementos of the guy who broke her heart. He was going to have to talk to her about that, something the son of Poseidon seriously didn't want to happen.

"Just because you don't like me~"

"It's not that," Zoë cut him off, giving Percy a measure of hope - something that must have shown, because the Hunter was quick to snuff it out. "No, I still hate thee, but it concerns those two girls…"

"Look, Zoë, you may not like it, and I can't say I do either, but there are girls out there who like to flaunt their bodies. You've met a few daughters of Aphrodite."

The Hunters' lieutenant rolled her eyes. "I may not like it, Thalia, but I know what women do to enchant boys. What I mean to say is, there was something… different about those two girls."

Bianca nodded in earnest, agreeing with her mentor. "I mean, I'm fairly new to this demigod thing, but even I could tell those girls seemed like fighters!"

This made the punk girl frown. Now that those two had mentioned it, there was something… warlike about those two girls. They were definitely not children of Ares - far too attractive. She was also fairly certain they weren't daughters of Athena - they didn't look like Annabeth at all, and though they may have been smart, they weren't brainiacs by any means. And she was sure she was the only demigod daughter of Zeus, who was arguably the most warlike god behind those two. Maybe they were daughters of Nike?

Percy, meanwhile, was panicking big time. He was sure Grover could tell, what with him eyeing his best friend curiously (and not in the Aphrodite-just-came-what's-with-the-hormones type). The only male demigod in the group urgently shook his head at the satyr, hoping he wouldn't bring anything up, which the goatboy thankfully understood. But Zoë was the problem here. If there was anyone out there who would probably know how horrible of a situation it would be were it discovered that those two Latinas were Roman, it would be her. He needed to change the subject, and fast.

"Well, they're gone now. Thanks, by the way, for letting me say goodbye." It actually was kind of a sweet farewell. Even though he knew what they were going to do, he still offered them a place at Camp Halfblood. They could easily hide their identities with Hermes' group. But the two daughters of Bellona already had their minds set on their goals. Hylla was going to help Reyna get to this place called the Wolf House, where they would split up, the younger sister on a trek to the Roman demigod camp and the older sister heading up north to Seattle, where she hoped to be accepted with the Amazons. Percy made sure that the two got a few drachmas to Iris-message him, something they knew about thanks to their time with Circe. Then they had both kissed his cheeks, Reyna with a blush and Hylla with a smirk and wink, and gone on their ways. The son of Poseidon had smiled glumly as they walked away, already missing them.

Grover, having noticed Percy's slightly down mood, elected to explain what had happened to them while he had been. The young swordsman felt quite jealous that they were able to fly on the backs of angels to San Francisco - he always enjoyed the thrill of being in the air, and hated the fact that Zeus never really wanted him to be anywhere near his domain. Percy was also quick to give his cousin an apologetic look, knowing full well how terrified she must have been. Still, a daughter of the Lord of the Sky, afraid of heights? He would have laughed if it hadn't been so sad.

He was also shocked to hear that they found Nereus and was able to catch him easily, especially when he learned that the Old Man of the Sea could actually transform himself into any type of marine life. He wondered why the guy hadn't just made himself into plankton, seeing as they were too small to actually grab ahold of, but elected to give the man that advice some other time. Hey, it probably would be quite beneficial to have an immensely knowledgeable old man in his debt.

And then, before they could determine exactly what this Ophiotaurus that Nereus was talking about, Dr. Thorn, the manticore that had thrown them all into this stupid quest, decided to make a mess of things. If it hadn't been for Bianca asking Mr. D for some help (and had the French-sounding monster not been so thickheaded as to insult a god in his presence), then Zoë, Grover, and Bianca would have most likely died and Thalia kidnapped to use the Ophiotaurus against the gods. Percy made a mental note to give a sacrifice to the wine dude for both letting him follow Zoë's quest and saving his friends. He doubted Dionysus would even care, but it was the least he could do.

"So wait, what the heck is an Ophiotaurus?"

Unsurprisingly, it was Zoë, with her years of experience, that spoke up. "It's a sea monster that is part cow, part serpent."

Part cow, part sea serpent… now why did that sound so familiar?

"_Mooooo…._"

"Ah, crap. Bessie…"

"Bessie?" All four repeated what Percy said, each with a different confused look on their face.

"Yeah, she's a monster that's been following me around after I saved it the night you all started off on this quest."

"... And, is that it right there?"

Percy glanced back and sighed. Of course, Bessie was right there, looking forlornly at the group of demigods and Hunters. "Ah, hey Bessie… Or should I say Ophiotaurus?"

"_Moooo…"_

"_He_ says that he prefers Ophiotaurus, but since you're his protector, you can call him whatever you'd like."

"How do you get that from a single moo?" The youngest member of their band mumbled, a thought shared by the rest of their group.

"Wait, Percy's the Ophiotaurus' protector?"

"So, does that mean I'm not the child of prophecy?"

"What's the child of prophecy?"

"Something that concerns a child of the Big Three and their sixteenth birthday party… and that's about all I know."

"Which means it doesn't concern thee, Bianca. Plus, you're immortal, so you won't ever turn sixteen."

Though the Hunter's words weren't special at all, Zoë had reminded the demigod boy of someone else, and that only made him feel a small stab of regret in his gut. And thanks to that empathy link, he was pretty sure Grover could tell that something was up. Hopefully Atlas' daughter's words wouldn't give away anything that might clue the surprisingly observant satyr in on Percy's grief, though he was sure the goatboy would ask about that later, along with any of the other questions on an ever-growing list that the satyr had. Though what was with the furrowed, contemplating look on Thalia?

"Uh, guys, I know this is complete news to you, but I think we should focus on the bigger problem at hand…"

A low moo aided his efforts in getting his friends to focus.

"Oh yeah… how are we going to take care of the weird snake cow?"

"Hmm? Couldn't we let Percy's dad take care of it? He is the son of the sea god, right?"

Percy didn't like the sound of that - Zeus would fry him with that stupid thunderbolt if he even mentioned that. So it came as a measure of surprise when the daughter of the Lord of the Sky agreed with the younger Hunter's suggestion. "That does make sense."

"Wait, how does that make any sense at all? Zeus might declare war against Poseidon if word gets out that he has the Ophi-whatever!"

"As much as I loathe to agree with him, Percy speaks the truth. Thy father and his are worse than beasts protecting their territory."

"I don't care. Personally, I don't really like my dad, and Percy's dad seems chill."

"I've only met him once, and he said he regretted fathering me," grumbled the lone human boy there.

"At least he apologized for ruining your life. My dad made me into a tree!"

"Are we going on about how pathetic our father's are? Because, if that's the case, then both Bianca and Zoë have us be~ … crap." Percy cringed when he spotted the raven-haired Hunter's confusion and her mentor's look of pure anger. "Er… I didn~"

"Who told thee that?"

The boy was awfully tempted to point out her out-of-date speech, but that was sure to get him in even more trouble than now. How could he get out of this situation? Thalia and Grover were out of the question, since they were wondering what in Hades was Percy talking about. Maybe he should cut to Bianca? No, the oldest on this stupid quest would refuse to let him dodge this. So, he had to tell a partial truth that only Artemis' lieutenant would understand. "Er… a sister of yours, who lives on an island… she might have told me about him."

… Mission accomplished. The look on his Camp Half-blood campmates told him that his clue was indiscernible, while Zoë was clearly shocked and maybe even angrier. Of course, Percy knew right away why her mood had worsened: Calypso wasn't exactly a member of the Hunt. Far from it, from what Aphrodite had implied, if not outright stated. The two Titan daughters were as different as night and day when it came to matters of love, and if they ever met face to face, it probably would end up in the cat fight of a lifetime.

… Why was he suddenly interested in seeing that? No, not the time, Percy, not the time.

"And I know who your father is, Bianca. Since you're a Hunter, it probably won't matter much, but if you'd like, I can tell you later."

"Yeah, as much fun as it is to talk about fathers, guys, shouldn't we make a decision about the Ophiotaurus?"

"Give him to Percy's dad," muttered Thalia and, after some hesitation, Bianca gave a small nod in agreement while gazing at the son of the sea god in a longing manner. Clearly she really wanted to find out about her family.

Everyone turned to Zoë, who looked like she could care less. "In the end, if it's away from the Titans…" She shrugged uncommitedly, but everyone knew that it really didn't matter to her. Her life was the Hunt - as long as Lady Artemis was alright, she'd be alright.

Seeing the rest of them come to the same conclusion, Percy looked defeated. "Why am I the only one that doesn't think it's a good idea to let Dad have it?" He muttered before walking up close to the sea. Almost immediately, two dolphins swam up to meet him. The four other questers watched as he talked to them.

Bianca was the first to ask the question on everyone's mind. "Is Percy the only one really being smart here?"

"As much as I hate him, the son of Poseidon did speak wisely."

"Seaweed Brain, wise? Yeah right."

"Thalia, Percy's reasoning was the best of us. This could lead to war, and he'll be the one punished for it if the Ophiotaurus keeps claiming Percy as its protector."

The daughter of Zeus glanced back at her cousin, realizing just what she and her friends had practically sentenced him to. "Well, if that happens, then I'll take the fall."

Grover bleated at that, earning an incredulous look from the punk girl. "You know Percy would never let that happen Thalia. He'd do whatever it took to take a bullet for you, me, Annabeth… Hades, he'd probably do it for Zoë, too."

"And why, satyr, am I an afternote?"

"At least he mentioned you," muttered Bianca, though she agreed with Grover, feeling that that protection would maybe extend to her as well. She felt her cheeks flush a bit, but luckily no one saw - Zoë would have berated her about that.

Fortunately, Percy made it back, smiling while wearing the lionskin jacket. "Well, that's taken care of. What's next?"

Thalia, speechless at how nonchalant the boy was after practically being stabbed in the back by the rest of the group, took a minute to reboot her mind before answering sadly, "The Chase's. It's probably best to let them know what's happening, and they may be able to get us a ride to where Annabeth is."

* * *

Bianca Di Angelo, a girl who, just two weeks ago, was unaware of anything to do with gods and monsters and quests outside of her brother's ridiculous game, had grown up a ton in just that small amount of time. She had taken on the Nemean lion, some weird undead soldiers, a giant pig, an even more giant robot, and a manticore… twice! Sure, she hadn't proved really that vital against any of those monsters, not like Percy… He really was quite the hero, wasn't he?

_No! Bad Bianca! I'm part of the hunt now, and I can't think like that!_

Yet despite the fresh Hunter's self-chastisement, she couldn't help but glance at the son of Poseidon sitting next to her in the back of the car. He really looked like a hero in her mind. His dark hair, mischievous grin… she understood why her brother looked up to him. He felt like a big brother that she never had!

Yes, a big brother! That was all! And he'd be perfect as a role model for Nico!

The girl looked down into her lap, a little glumly, when she thought about her little brother. She still felt guilty about leaving him behind, and visiting Annabeth's home hadn't helped at all. Bianca could tell that the family loved her, even if the mother and the two adorable little boys didn't really seem as enthusiastic to help as the father. That look, when Annabeth was brought up, was the same look she had whenever she was around Nico. Tired and a little confused, but still loving.

But her father's… She knew that Annabeth was definitely Daddy's little girl. Sure, Thalia and Percy may have mentioned that their friend and Mr. Chase didn't have the most amazing father-daughter relationship in the world - running away for five years would definitely damage that. But the man obviously would have given the world for his daughter, and he was definitely scared for his little princess.

The thought made the young huntress wonder what her father was like. Bianca might have seemed quite mature for her physical age, but even she wanted to know what it was like to have a doting father who would tickle her senseless and softly brush her hair. Hades, even if her father was overprotective and carried around a shotgun to ward off any boys, she would be okay. Though, now that she was part of the Hunters, that last part probably wouldn't happen anytime soon, if ever. She was sure a father like that would be ecstatic to learn that that had happened.

But then, something Percy had said hit her again. He had accidentally brought it up during the argument with Thalia, about whose father was worse. The young hero had even mentioned Zoë's father, though how he figured that out, Bianca didn't have a clue. No, he did mention something about a sister… but Zoë had so many siblings that it could have been anyone. Well, whatever that was about, it was between her mentor and her hero, and it really had nothing to do with her.

But her father…

"Percy?" The dark-haired demigod took his eyes off the window and looked at her, an eyebrow raised in question. "Er… Earlier… you said…"

"Yeah?"

"You mentioned… my father…"

"Oh..."

Great, now the raven-haired girl had made everything awkward. No, this wasn't the time for this! They were about to go up to the top of a mountain to take on one of the most feared titans in history! She should be thinking about which arrows she should shoot, or checking if her bow was taut enough. Learning about her family could definitely wait until it was appropriate. "Ah, nevermind. Now is probably not very g~"

"No, it's probably the best." Bianca blinked at Percy's tone. He must have noticed this, because he wasn't finished yet. "Bianca, you're still young at this, so you might not realize it yet, but there is a very good chance one of us might die tonight. If there's stuff we need to get off our chest, then it's best we get them off. And family… even if what we learn might be something we don't really like, they're still family. They're who we are."

"... Oh," whispered the young Hunter. She hadn't really thought that she might die. She hadn't thought about what she would think was important to her, nor that this might be the last time she could find out before it was too late. Bianca idly noticed the solemn mood that the handsome boy's words had put the car in. Thalia was focusing all of her energy on watching the signs go by, while Zoë eyed her apprentice worriedly from the rearview mirror. Grover… was asleep, but that was hardly a surprise. Obviously, other than the goat, this topic had just as much of an impact on the rest of them as it was supposed to have on her. "Well, if that's the case… Could you tell me about my father?"

"... Bianca, do you still have that Mythomagic statuette that you stole from Hephaestus' trash heap?" The girl flinched at that - she hadn't told anyone else that it was her actions that got them caught up with that giant robot. The daughter of Zeus whipped her head back, staring at her, while Zoë's eyes widened comically in the mirror. The youngest member felt a little bad that everyone had assumed it was Percy who had earned Talos' ire. So this was how the guy felt when he was always thrown under the bus?

Wait, nevermind that, why in Hades did he want to see that? Shrugging, she calmly pulled the black figurine out of her pocket, gently handing it to the older-brother figure next to her. The son of Poseidon gazed at it, drinking in every detail and then… he chuckled. Bianca stared flabbergasted at the sudden 360° in emotions.

"I hate fate…"

"What?" What in Hades was Percy talking about? Fate? The raven-haired Hunter glanced at the front of the car to find both of the girls with very angry expressions. That just made Bianca all the more confused. "Percy, tell me!"

"This… this is your father."

"... A figurine?"

"Of Hades," whispered the son of the sea god. The car suddenly lurched to the side a bit, earning a loud horn of irritation from another vehicle zooming by. Thalia was simply staring incredulously at her cousin, her eyes wider than ever.

"H~Hades?"

"That~ That cannot be!" Zoë shouted from her place behind the wheel. "The Lord of the Dead berated his brothers for breaking their oath! He wouldn't have committed the same."

"But he didn't, Zoë. You figured it out yourself - Bianca and her little brother were born years ago. They were trapped in the Lotus Casino for decades. Chances are they were alive when the Great Prophecy was first made, and Hades hid them to protect them."

"That would make sense…" muttered the punk girl sitting in the passenger's muttered, peering at the youngest on their quest with a curious gaze.

"And how else can you explain one of those undead skeletons actually burning up? I've met someone else who could send them down to Hades, and the only reason he could was because he had a specialized weapon! Bianca took one down with a normal hunting knife!"

"There could be another reason! Perhaps Lady Artemis blessed her in that moment with strength!"

"I've met Hades, Zoë. I've felt his power. And it was the same as Bianca's."

Before the Hunt's lieutenant could refute, her underling spoke up. "You've met him, Percy? You've met my dad?"

The boy grimaced at the question, wondering how to answer it. Bianca could only guess that the meeting the King of the Underworld - no, her father, had been… unpleasant.

Luckily for him, Thalia picked up the slack. "About a year and a half ago, Percy went on a quest with Grover and our friend, Annabeth. Hades had been suspected of stealing my dad's Master Bolt, so Percy and company were sent to retrieve it. They stopped a war."

"When you say suspected…"

"Hades never took it. My old friend, Luke…" The daughter of Zeus trailed off. The raven-haired Hunter figured something happened with him, especially by her commanding officer's knowing look. She quickly forced herself to change the topic.

"So, if my dad never took it, then he's an okay guy, right?" Sure, the name "Hades" painted a dark picture, but perhaps that was just myths being messed up after centuries?

… Or maybe not. Thalia instantly turned back to staring at road signs, pointedly ignoring the question. Percy, on the other hand, clenched his fist tightly, his anger palpable. Whatever her father had done, Bianca was fairly certain that it would probably be impossible for his nephew and thus her cousin to forgive.

"... I'm sorry." Her words made the son of Poseidon frown, so she continued. "I'm not sure what my father did to you, but it was obviously bad. I must be a constant reminder of what hap~"

"No, you're not." Bianca flinched, but the kind smile on Percy's face puzzled her. "Bianca, just because you're the daughter of Hades doesn't mean you're just like him. You're your own person - Bianca di Angelo, Hunter of Artemis and a girl that really loves her little brother. That doesn't even sound remotely like Hades, who probably hates that some heroes get immortal lives away from his punishments and definitely hates his brothers." The demigod sighed, turning his head to look at the stars. "The gods… they're not like us. They don't have to worry about dying. They have too many children that it hardly even matters to them. My own father… He said that he wished I hadn't been born. Even though I'm not sure how he meant it, those words still hurt. Frankly, if the Titans weren't as destructive as they are, I'd be all for seeing the gods getting a slice of humble pie."

"Percy…" Thalia eyed her cousin, though Bianca wasn't sure whether it was out of wariness or sympathy. The young Huntress thought she saw a sad look of small agreement in Zoë's reflection from the rearview mirror, too. Did everybody here have something against the gods they were supposedly fighting for?

"But even though they can be real jerks, the gods are still the symbols of civilization. If they're gone, then humanity will be gone too," continued the dark-haired boy, unknowingly answering Bianca's unvoiced question. "Maybe that's why I do these stupid quests - to make sure the world is safe from harm. Especially the people that I care about. I would do anything to keep them happy." He then glanced back at her, smiling kindly. "That includes you, my little cousin."

… That was the reason why Percy had followed them. He really didn't care about Lady Artemis. He wasn't concerned about the General. He even showed he didn't mind being caught up in dangerous situations himself, as long as everyone else was safe. Bianca gave a small smile, glad that she finally figured out what made her new idol tick. He really was a real hero and was maybe the person she looked up to the most - though she'd never admit that out loud. Zoë would probably have her hide if she ever said anything.

Little did the daughter of Hades know, but her mentor was now quiet behind the wheel, frowning in concernment about the current owner of _his_ coat and sword.

* * *

**Hey! I've finally updated it! I hope you guys didn't mind the wait. I got caught in a rut with the story, trying to figure out how I should transition to the climatic showdown that is to happen. Hopefully I didn't bore you.**

**Anyways, review if you'd like. **

**Blank**


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry...

So, it's been a year since I last updated this... and that's probably it. You see, when I first thought of this, I imagined actually developing quite a bit of the story... but then I somehow packed in four or five major (female) character introductions in two or three chapters. That is not development - specifically potential romantic development. You see, I don't believe in "love at first sight;" it might seem cliche, but I liken love to a fire - just not the "burning passion" kind of thing. No, instead, there's a little spark that sets up love's foundation, be that attraction or common interests or maybe even a huge mistake that paved the way to a conversation starter. From there, love needs some fuel to really set in, and that takes effort from both parties. And that doesn't mean sex - sure, intimacy is vital to a romance, but a relationship built solely on sex is doomed to fail in the end, something a ton of writers on this sight fail to perceive.

Unfortunately, I was falling down this route in my story. While Percy wasn't having sex, most of his potential relationships were focused primarily on the sex appeal of the particular girl at the moment. I believe I, as the writer, am allowed to say that that is quite pathetic. In fact, I was focusing too much on the potential relationships that I wasn't really taking into account actual storyline - I ended up getting writer's block during the Ladon scene because I couldn't figure out a good way how to have Percy save Zoë so that she could start to see him in more than a "he's a man and thus scum" kind of light. And since a story cannot be a story without a storyline, well...

So because of that, I decided to lock up shop with this story and just bury it. I apologize to anybody who actually seemed to enjoy it, which is probably quite a few of you. If anybody's interested, they could take this idea and run with it. Just PM me if you wish to do so.

Again, much apologies,

thisissupposedtobeblank


End file.
